Ranchi, December 21
The Prevention of Mob Violence and Mob Lynching Bill, 2021, was tabled in Jharkhand Assembly and passed by voice vote on Tuesday to check such incidents in the state, infamous for vigilantism.
The Bill was tabled in the House by the state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam and passed despite opposition by the BJP.
Jharkhand became the third state in the country after West Bengal and Rajasthan to pass such a piece of legislation.
The bill envisages imprisonment for those who are found to be involved in mob violence and mob lynching for periods ranging from three years to life term, besides fine and attachment of properties for those found guilty of violence. Those who are found responsible for sharing information in an irresponsible manner will be brought to book.
It provides for fine and imprisonment of up to three years for those creating a “hostile environment”, the definition of which includes threatening or coercing the victims, their family members and witnesses or any person providing assistance to them. It also provides for financial compensation to the victim’s family and free medical treatment of victims of mob violence and mob lynching.
The bill will be now be sent to the governor for his assent to become law in accordance with the constitutional norms.
Tabling the Bill in the House, Alam said its main objective is to provide “effective security” to the people, protect their constitutional rights and prevent mob violence.
During the debate on the bill, the main opposition BJP introduced several amendments which were sidelined by the government by voice vote.
BJP leader C P Singh accused the state government of bringing the bill “in a hurry for the appeasement of minorities”.
There have been reports of many cases of mob violence in Jharkhand, but incidents of mob lynching in the state came to the fore in 2019 when 24-year-old Tabrez Ansari was tied and thrashed in Seraikela Kharsawan district on suspicions of theft of a goat. He died later due to the lynchimg.
There have also been incidents of mob lynching of those suspected to be practising witch craft in the tribal state.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren had denounced incidents of mob violence and promised to bring a legislation against it ahead of the 2019 state Assembly election.
Earlier this year, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government had decided to set up district-level committees to deal with cases of mob violence and mob lynching after being rebuked by the high court.
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