Lynching has become a way of imparting instant justice in Bihar. The State has not seen any stance of killing by cow vigilantism, but the mobs have lynched at least six-seven criminals in the recent weeks. Alarmed by the menace, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a high-level review meeting on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, perturbed over rising crime graph and back to back lynching incidents, on Wednesday held a marathon meeting with top police and civil officials. The meeting was given name of review of law and order with district officials but insiders claimed that reports of lynching in the last few days, which claimed at least six lives, was on top of the meeting agenda.
The peoples’ mentality to catch the criminals and do instant justice a la kangaroo court is growing and the recent incidents showed their active involvement in taking law into their own hands. Even policemen rushing to control the situation are coming under their attack.
It appears that Charles Lynch and William Lynch, the two 18th Century Americans, who coined the phrase Lynch Law and whose title was borrowed to describe the incidents of killing of the persons through the mob violence, are on prowl in Bihar showing they have lost faith in police and they are fed up with rising crime.
Three history-sheeters were killed by the villagers when they stormed a primary girls school a Chhaurahi in Begusarai district on Friday last. With an intention to kidnap a girl, they inquired about her from school principal Nema Kumari. When she said the girl has not come they whipped out revolver and pointed at her head.
The school girls started running and shouting. Hearing their shouts some women working in the nearby fields rushed and challenged the armed criminals. In the meantime villagers also charged and confronted them. Then started attack on them from all sides with lathis. A police team from Chhaurahi OP reached and locked three in a classroom. But the villagers disapproved police action and they forced the police to beat a hasty retreat and broke open the lock and started thrashing them.
By the time police reinforcement arrived they were as good as dead. Two died at the Sadar hospital and one died on the spot.
Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) S K Singhal however claimed it was not lynching. “The villagers rushed to help the principal and girls who were at risk of being hurt. It was a self defence move. The armed criminals were injured and later succumbed to their injuries,” he claimed.
As per the police dossier the three were hardened criminals and one of them Mukesh Mahto was facing 24 criminal cases while other two were too wanted in some cases of murder, kidnapping and loot.
A day later at Ramnagra village in Sitamarhi district an alleged road robber was caught while confronting a pickup van driver and villagers thrashed him badly and also damaged his eye. The person had come out of jail a few months back.
Another history-sheeter Pankaj Giri was lynched in Sasaram near a bank branch when three criminals attempted to snatch bag containing Rs 25 lakh from two railway officials who were going to deposit the money. During scuffle with officials one criminal hit his head with revolver butt and injured another with fire. A crowd chased them and caught hold of Giri. He was thrashed and someone hit head with a rock.
Only last fortnight all the district SPs had been directed through videoconferencing on containing the increasing incidents of mob lynching. Each SP had been made nodal officer of that district. The directives were made following a Supreme Court order on mob lynching.