Ranchi: After 18 months, the Jharkhand government will again bring the mob lynching bill. This time there is a preparation to bring it in the monsoon session of the Vidhan Sabha in the name of the Prevention of Mob Violence/Murder Bill-2023.
Before this it will be passed by the cabinet. Earlier in December 2021, the Mob Violence Prevention and Mob Lynching Prevention Bill-2021 was passed and sent to the Governor in the winter session of the Vidhansabha. The then Governor Ramesh Bais returned the bill to the government on 18 March 2022 with some objections. The State Government has removed the objections raised by the Governor after taking the opinion of the Advocate General.
The government is of the view that violence and killings by frenzied mobs taking law into their own hands is a matter of grave concern. It is necessary to stop this. That’s why this bill is being brought again. So that the incidents of mob lynching can be stopped and the culprits can be punished.
In the English version of the Bill, sub-section 12 of sub-section (1) of section 2 mentions the witness protection scheme. But there is no mention of it in the Hindi version. The Governor also objected to the definition of crowd given in sub-section (6) of sub-section (1) of the same section. It was said that a group of two or more persons cannot be called a disorderly crowd.
In the Mob Lynching Prevention Bill-2021, if found guilty, there was a provision of rigorous life imprisonment from three years to attachment of property along with a fine of Rs 25 lakh. A provision was made for punishment ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment even in case of serious injury. At the same time, there was a provision to punish the instigators of the crowd for three years, considering them guilty. Provision was also made in the bill to provide compensation to the victim’s family and free treatment of the victim.
January 5, 2022: Sanju Pradhan of the village was beaten to death with stones and sticks by a mob at Besrajra market in Simdega. The dead body was burnt.
January 11, 2022: Jai Murmu was beaten to death by people in Sarladih, Giridih.
May 6, 2022: A young man named Shamim Ansari was beaten to death by the wood mafia in Gumla’s Bharna police station area for opposing the cutting of trees.
June 11, 2022: In Lohardaga’s Ganeshpur village, a mob thrashed a woman with sticks and forced her to drink poison on suspicion of being a witch. After death, he was thrown into a waterfall after being locked in a sack.
3 October 2022: Ejaz Khan was beaten to death by a furious mob in Tigra village of Gumla.
7 October 2022: Imran Ansari was beaten to death by a mob in Dhavaiya village of Bokaro.
October 17, 2022: Suresh Yadav, accused of theft in Dumka’s Taljhari police station area, was tied to a tree and beaten up by a mob. Death.
May 12, 2023: Mithun Singh Kharwar, accused of theft, was beaten to death by a mob in Horedag, Ranchi.