Patna (Bihar) [India], January 12 (HBTV): The Bihar State Minority Commission has taken cognisance of the increasing incidents of mob lynching in the state and directed that a senior police officer be appointed as a nodal officer in every district to help maintain a peaceful environment.
According to an official release, the Commission expressed deep concern over what it described as tragic and alarming reports of mob lynching emerging from different parts of Bihar and sought prompt and effective action from the state government. In this regard, Commission Chairman Maulana Ghulam Rasool Balyawi wrote to the Chief Secretary of the Government of Bihar and the Director General of Police.
The Commission said viral videos on social media and reports published in various newspapers and television channels indicate that in several districts, mobs are targeting individuals based on rumours and religious identity by labelling them as ‘Bangladeshis’, which it termed highly condemnable. The letter referred to several incidents, including the case of Mohammad Athar Hussain, a resident of Gagan Diwan village under the Laheri police station area in Nalanda district, who traded clothes as a peddler in Nawada district and died during treatment after being subjected to mob violence.
It also mentioned an attempt by a mob to attack an elderly Muslim man in Muzaffarpur district, and another incident in which Mohammad Murshid Alam, a resident of Supaul district, was allegedly brutally beaten and seriously injured in Tichka village under the Rajnagar police station area of Madhubani district.
The Commission stated that such incidents are creating an atmosphere of fear among the minority community and weakening public confidence in the law and justice system. It recalled that the Supreme Court in 2018 had issued clear guidelines on preventive, remedial and punitive measures to curb mob lynching.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s directions, the Commission said a senior police officer should be designated as a nodal officer in each district, an FIR should be registered immediately upon receiving information about mob lynching, strict legal action should be taken against those involved, and immediate relief and compensation should be provided to victims and their families. It added that disciplinary action should be initiated against district officials found negligent in implementing these directions.
The Commission chairman demanded strict compliance with the Supreme Court’s orders and sought details from the state government on the steps taken in this regard, the release said. (ANI)