After Murders Fueled By WhatsApp Rumours, Govt Issues Guidelines To Tackle Mob Lynching

The Centre has tightened the noose around the recent spate of killings fuelled by rumours floating on social media. The government has asked the states and union territories to take measures to prevent incidents of mob lynching ignited by rumours of child lifting.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has urged them (the states and the UTs) to keep a watch for early detection of such rumours and initiate effective action in the connection.

The states and UTs have been directed to identify vulnerable areas and conduct community outreach programmes for creating awareness. The government has stressed that complaints of child abduction should be thoroughly investigated to instil confidence among the affected persons.

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On June 4, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked WhatsApp to work closely with the IT Ministry and remain "accountable, responsible and vigilant" towards ensuring that nobody misuses their platform.

On June 3, the Supreme Court stated that mob lynching is 'beyond law and order problem'. Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra warned against linking mob violence to religion or caste.

"It (mob lynching) is beyond law and order problem. It is a crime. It is not confined to any motive," Misra said suggesting that it is not only cow vigilantism but also child lifting rumour among others.

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According to media reports, so far at least 29 people have lost their lives after they were being lynched by a village mob on suspicions of being child-lifters in different parts of the country.

Last week, five people were lynched to death by villagers in Maharashtra's Dhule district after videos of child lifters were actively circulated on a WhatsApp group.

In Tripura, a man hired by the government to dispel child-lifting rumours was lynched by village mob after they suspected him to be a child-kidnapper.