UPSC Mains 2017 GS Paper 3 Q19: model answer

In Dhule, Maharashtra, in July 2018, five men from a nomadic community stepped off a bus and were beaten to death by villagers who had seen a WhatsApp rumour about childlifters. None of the victims had done anything. The mob needed only a rumour and a crowd.

Examples

• Dadri (2015): Mohammad Akhlaq killed over beef rumours.
• Alwar (2017): Pehlu Khan, a dairy farmer, attacked by cow vigilantes.
• Jharkhand (2017) and Dhule (2018): child-lifting rumours.
• Bulandshahr (2018): a police inspector killed by a mob.
• Palghar (2020): two sadhus and their driver lynched.

Causes

• Rumours and fake news spreading faster than facts.
• Vigilantism over cows, morality or 'outsiders'.
• Communal and caste polarisation.
• Impunity: slow trials and weak convictions.
• Distrust of police and courts, so crowds 'deliver justice'.
• Political patronage and glorification of accused persons.
• Idle, angry youth in a crowd feel no personal responsibility.

Consequences

• The rule of law is replaced by the rule of the mob.
• Fear among minorities and the poor.
• Communal riots that follow a single incident.
• Damage to India's image and investor confidence.
• Police morale falls when officers are attacked.

What must be done

• Enforce the Supreme Court's Tehseen Poonawalla (2018) guidelines: a nodal officer in each district, fast-track trials and victim compensation.
• Use the BNS, 2023, which punishes group murder on grounds of race, caste, community or belief under Section 103(2), with death as the maximum sentence.
• Platform action: WhatsApp's forward limits, quick takedowns and fact-check units.
• Community policing and peace committees.
• Political leaders must condemn, not garland, the accused.

A mob is brave because it is faceless; the law must give every member a face and a case.