HYDERABAD: On May 11, an angry mob led by MIM MLA Ahmed Balala assaulted a man, accused of rape of a minor girl, inside a police station in city. A few days later, two men were assaulted by a mob in Nizamabad on suspicion of being kidnappers resulting in death of one. Then, a mob descended on man at Bibi Nagar killing him. But mob justice did not end here. On Saturday, an angry mob of over 1,000 gathered to assault some cross-dressers, killing one on spot.
Of late, the disturbing pattern of instant mob justice seemingly increasing by the day is throwing an altogether new challenge to the state Police. While some attribute instances of mob justice as an opportunity to vent out their anger, others say that no fear of law might be a major factor.
“Only those who have a criminal background or tendencies can commit violent murders. Some people try to take advantage of mob scenario. Of them, 98 per cent are onlookers who could not prevent the crime from happening,” feels Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar. He says that the miscreants involved in last night’s incident at Phoolbagh would be identified and put behind bars soon.
His subordinates, however, say that it is a Herculean task to identify trouble mongers from a crowd of a 1,000. “As far as Old City is concerned, it is an open secret that one particular political party dominates the area and has a upper hand when compared to police. In such a situation, trouble mongers know that they can have a free run as police would be taken care of by their political masters. Absolutely no fear of law among people often leads to these incidents,” said a senior IPS officer, who did not wish to be quoted.
Understanding the mob psychology is something the state police intends to study now and take corrective measures.
Police have attributed these videos to old incidents in Iraq, Syria, Burma, Sri Lanka which miscreants with vested interests have been sharing on web channels and social media. A consultant psychologist from city Dr Jayanti Sundar said such incidents involve no thought or rationale. “Sometimes, someone might have had a certain past experience and look for an opportunity to vent out anger,” she said.
No action on mob fury
16 days after a mob led by MIM MLA Ahmed Balala barged into a police station and thrashed a rape accused, the Chaderghat police are yet to take action against the miscreants. Anjani Kumar had ordered an enquiry and though the report has been submitted, no action has been taken yet