Union Home Ministry Sets Up Committee over Rising Cases of Mob Lynching

FROM A CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI, July 23: Being aware of the incidents of mob lynching across India including Assam, the Centre has setup a high level committee chaired by Union Home Secretary Rajib Gauva to check mob lynching.

The Home Ministry on Monday said that the Secretary, Department of Justice, Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs, Secretary, Legislative Department and Secretary, Social Justice and Empowerment are the members of the committee. “The committee will submit its recommendations to the Government within four weeks,” officials said.

In addition to the high-level committee, the government has also decided to constitute a Group of Ministers (GoMs) headed by the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to consider recommendations of the high level committee.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot are members of the GoM.

“The Group of Ministers will submit their recommendations to the Prime Minister,” the officials said.

Government is concerned at the incidents of violence by mobs in some parts of the country. The Government has already condemned such incidents and made its stand clear in the Parliament that it is committed to upholding the rule of law and adopting effective measures to curb such incidents, the officials added.

As per the Constitutional scheme, ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects. State Governments are responsible for controlling crime, maintaining law and order, and protecting the life and property of the citizens. They are empowered to enact and enforce laws to curb crime in their jurisdiction.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Home Affairs has, from time to time, issued advisories to States and UTs for maintenance of public order and prevention of crime in their areas of jurisdiction. An advisory on addressing the issue of lynching by mob on suspicion of child lifting was issued on July 4.

“The Government respects the recent directions of the Supreme Court on the issue of mob violence, and has issued an advisory to State Governments urging them to take effective measures to prevent incidents of mob violence and lynching and to take stringent action as per law. The State Governments have been advised to implement the directions issued in the matter by the Supreme Court on July 17, 2018,” officials said.