RANCHI: For the first time, the Jharkhand government has admitted that 46 incidents of mob-lynching have taken place in the state in the last five years. The government, however, refrained from disclosing the number of persons who have died in such incidents.
In reply to a question raised by CPML legislator Vinod Singh during in the Assembly on Monday, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam also informed that 51 persons accused convicted in 11 cases of mob-lynching have been awarded life imprisonment and a total of Rs 19.9 lakh have been paid to the aggrieved families as compensation.
Singh had sought to know if 58 incidents of mob-lynching had been reported across the state from 2016 to 2021. Alam replied that 46 incidents had taken place, with the maximum 16 in 2017. While 9 mob-lynching incidents were reported in 2019, the number stood at 8 last year.Only 4 incidents were witnessed in 2018 and 5 in 2020.
The minister asserted that the Hemant Soren government was serious about checking the menace and hence, an anti-lynching Bill had been brought in the Assembly. However, Singh said that conviction was still awaited in most cases and that compensation was yet to be paid to most of the victims' families. The government said the process of giving compensation would be expedited and also agreed to set up fast-track court for speedy hearing in such cases.
To check the rising incidents of mob-lynching, the Jharkhand (Prevention of Mob Violence and Mob Lynching) Bill, 2021 was passed in the Assembly in December.
The law provides for jail terms ranging from three years to life imprisonment and fines of up to Rs 25 lakh against those convicted of mob lynching leading to "injury or death" of an individual. Jharkhand was the third state after West Bengal and Rajasthan to pass such legislation.