Our nation doesn’t just trend on social media, it’s trending in mob-lynchings too. According to physiologists, people show “herd-like behaviour” and act according to the rest of the herd (mob). They lose their individuality and personal logic behind doing anything when in a mob. And this behaviour has become a common trait of Indian people who murder in groups.
Following are some cases where a mob became the judge of someone’s life:
Madhu Died Of Hate And Hunger
People in Kerala were taking selfies while others were beating a tied-up man. They were beating up Madhu, a tribal man, who allegedly used to steal rice and other stuff. Madhu was declared ‘brought dead’ at a hospital.
There are multi-layered problems in this case. First, there is a huge income gap between the poor and the rich. There are tribal people like Madhu living in developed states like Kerala, who have to resort to stealing to stay alive.
Secondly, people are getting fearless of the law and are developing hatred towards others. Even if Madhu was a thief, it was not the people’s responsibility to ‘teach him a lesson’.
Thirdly, people are enjoying becoming ‘heroic’ and think they are changing something. Circulating selfies doesn’t relax the situation a bit.
Kasganj’s Cry
It was on January 26, Republic Day, when Uttar Pradesh witnessed communal riots that led to the death of one and injuries to many. Even the coverage by the media was divided on Hindu-Muslim lines. This was a clear case of communal hatred instilled amongst people over years by our politicians and media. What all started as an ego-problem between two groups, became communal riots between two religions.
Afrazul’s Killing Captured In A Video
It was on December 6, 2017, in Rajasthan when another crime happened due to the wide gap between two religions. Afrazul was killed by Shambu Lal Regar to ‘teach a lesson to those who get involved in love-jihad’. Whether Afrazul did love a Hindu girl isn’t important. What’s shocking is that a man kills another in the name of ‘protecting his religion’. He even made a video and circulated it to instil fear among people.
This is not all. There are many like Abu Bakr, Junaid, Pehlu Khan, Jayesh Solanki, Kartik Ghosh, and many others.
According to The Quint, there have been more than 32 people killed in mob-lynchings in India since 2015. It has become an important question: are we living in times where everything is divided along the lines of caste and religion? Are we getting too influenced by our leaders and media?
Well, sadly the answer is yes. People have started to question what people from “other groups” say. There has been a rise in considering someone belonging to a “different group” as the enemy.
More than individuality, groups have become important.
More than law, mob-lynchings have become important.