Jharkhand Assembly Passes Prevention of Mob Violence and Mob Lynching Bill, 2021- All You Need To Know

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren tables a new Bill (Prevention of Mob Violence and Mob Lynching Bill, 2021) in the Assembly. The bill aims to maintain peace and harmony in the state and for retaining brotherhood. On December 21, the Jharkhand Assembly passed the said bill despite opposition by the BJP.

Earlier, the Legislative Assemblies of West Bengal and Rajasthan have also passed a bill for the same cause.

Ironically, The Bhartiya Janata Party has opposed the bill in Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, despite the bill being passed by a voice vote.

Provisions Of The Prevention of Mob Violence & Mob Lynching Bill,2021

As per the provisions of the Prevention of Mob Violence and Mob Lynching Bill, 2021, anyone who is found guilty of mob violence and lynching will get imprisonment for a period ranging from three years to a lifetime besides fine and attachment of property. In addition to this, those found responsible for sharing information recklessly will also be punished. It provides for fine and imprisonment of up to three years for those creating a "hostile environment", the definition of which includes threatening or coercing the victims, their family members and witnesses, or any person assisting them.

Moreover, the bill envisages financial compensation to the victim's family and free medical treatment to victims of mob violence and mob lynching. The bill will now be sent to the Governor for his assent, as per New Indian Express.

Ahead of the 2019 State Assembly election, Chief Minister Hemant Soren had promised to implement legislation against Mob Violence and Mob Lynching. This happened when Tabrez Ansari's brutal mob lynching triggered a nationwide outrage following videos of him tied to an electric pole went viral wherein a crazed crowd was seen beating him up on suspicion of theft.

Mob Lynchings In India, An Unnoticed Calamity

Lynching is not just "mobocracy"; it is a collective hate crime. India has seen an unprecedented surge in people who died due to mob violence. The basis of these heinous persecutions more often belongs to a minority religion, love jihad, cow slaughter, and others. On the internet, there are a lot of videos piled up that bring such cases to our notice, and every video leaves people in shock. What does it imply when a group of people, in an attempt to claim their superiority, kill a person just for practising his religion and when he is asked to chant slogans forcefully. It implies that they have become intolerant of those who have different faiths. Its been five years since Akhlaq was brutally killed by a mob on suspicion of consuming and storing cow meat in his house in Uttar Pradesh's Dadri district. To date, the cases of mob violence are on the hike.

India is a democracy, and the Indian Judiciary is vested in delivering justice to people. Then who gave power to these mobs to go and slaughter humans in the name of religion. The mainstream media seems reluctant to cover these heinous crimes, and our elected representatives in the parliament hardly pay heed. Opposition cries out such issues, but who lets them speak in the house.

Countries like New Zealand in the Christchurch attack and even Pakistan in the recent Sri Lankan Lynching have taken action against such heinous acts and gave severe punishments to those found guilty of Mob Violence.

Mob violence is a blot on Indian culture. The Constitution of India guarantees its citizen the right to practice, preach and propagate their religion. It also prohibits discrimination on grounds only of Caste, Religion, Race, Sex or Place of birth. No article of the Indian constitution and no legislation has been implemented to give the right to any member of the majority community or cow vigilantes or to a political party to serve justice for the sake of their personal and political motives. India is known for its diversity, and its highly diverse society makes India unique. Such laws are meant to keep this diversity intact. Hope such laws are implemented in other states of the country as well.

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