India Mulls Specific Laws to Deal With Mob Lynching

14:17 GMT, 23 July 2018

With elections just round the corner, mob lynching and mob violence has become an Achilles heel for the Narendra Modi-led government in India, as such incidences continue to occur across the country.

Sputnik

New Delhi (Sputnik): After being stung again by a series of mob lynching incidents, the Indian government is considering introducing new laws to tackle the menace. Of the various proposals under consideration, the main ones are amendments to the existing criminal code to classify "mob lynching" as a penal offense or introducing an entirely new act specifically for mob violence.

The government is also tightening the noose around the rumor mill that is responsible for triggering the mob violence in most of the cases. A number of checks have been put in place to regulate fake messages on social media.

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had termed mob lynching as an act of violence against humanity.

"The incidents of violence are against the basic principles of humanity. I once again urge the states to take strict action in such cases," Modi said in parliament.

The latest incident of mob lynching occurred on Saturday in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, when a man was allegedly lynched by a mob on suspicion of cow smuggling.

"The incident of mob lynching is a failure on part of the government. The government must punish the culprits," Sanjay Singh, a member of parliament, told Sputnik