[Asish_VK]

Originally Posted by Zigor

4. Illiteracy (again, things are getting worse)

Agree to most of your points except this .

There are many incedents (recently) at my state , Kerala, which boasts of 100% Literacy, Social and political standards/indexes comparable to western countries etc.

Instances such as attacking and killing a Dalit guy who stole some rice from a shop, Some other state worker who were wrongly acused of stealing a chicken etc.

I guess its not about literacy or anything. Its more to do with the deterioration of "culture" and sanity in the whole country (Which once was our pride)

[streetfighter]

I do not understand the notion why we call a group of murderers a "mob" and why a cold blooded murder should be called mob violence or lynching. It should be treated and called a murder, the perpetrators should be brought to justice... arrested, tried and hanged.

Currently, the so called "mob" feels that they can get away with the crime as they are in a group. The law is not harsh enough on group violence. The Supreme Court has instructed the govt. to frame better laws on the same - https://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...le24440041.ece

Violence of any form should be dealt swiftly and strongly. We all at some point have broken laws and have gotten away, be it jumping a traffic signal, or bribing someone. Most of us feel the law and law enforcers are not right enough and there are ways to bypass. I think we need an overhaul in our system, and the change has to start with ourselves.

[AJITHAAA]

As a country and society we are headed in the wrong direction. Its a rudderless ship as far as the moral compass is concerned. Taking life of a fellow human and countryman on flimsy grounds is far more easy these days and its fast becoming the norm. The worst part is there is no leadership in sight to counter this murderous attitude, on the contrary the murderers are felicitated publicly to the point that the SC has to take cognizance and push for action.

[tj123]

It’s sad and dangerous to know that people don’t have any respect for law and order. I am amazed to see that state administration in power have no control over these kind of mobs. I would say these are the traits of weak state leadership.

If this continues then this country will go to dogs to say the least.

[carmayogi]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

We should be really careful not to equate vigilance with violence, nor to condone such behavior citing perceived or actual lack of security.

.......

Rationalizing law-breaking is a dangerous slippery slope best avoided.

Spoken very wisely, sir.

I would like to avoid politics here, but use an example of law enforcement in Mumbai that should give us hope and make us fight in favour of the police.

Anyone living in Mumbai will know that the police, over the last decade, have become very strict about drunk driving. This has even led to the launch of driver-service businesses, such is the effect of their crackdown. I use this example to show
1) Police is capable of action if there is a will to do so
2) Public will support, believe in and work with the authorities - I know a number of friends who have quit driving after "hey it's just a few drinks".
3) Have personally not heard of cops being rude, unprofessional, thrashing people etc.

My simple conclusion from this is:
1) Excuses are made to say Police isn't capable. Police is very capable, if given the permission to work by those in power.
2) Excuses are made that we don't follow the law. Every human will break rules if they are able to get away with it. Once they realise they can't, they don't.
3) As a society, we must push for the authority of the law.
4) Those in power must be held accountable for flaming tensions in society - this is across the spectrum. It suits their agenda but costs us. We are fools to believe in such people.

My 2 cents. Hope the roads of India get safer in terms of cars, drivers and all these lunatics. After all, we all live to drive!

[vibbs]

When we keep hearing about the mob violence increasing nowadays, I remember an incident from my childhood days. In our housing society once there was a thief who was caught seemingly trying to steal some shoes/slippers kept outside homes.

As soon as he was caught the whole society came down and started hitting the daylights out of the guy. I think it went on for 30-45 mins. Of course there were no weapons and all the hitting was intermittent and basically blows and kicks. Someone had presence of mind to call police and the beating ended in 30-45 mins.

Nobody bothered to ask or try to verify if he was actually trying to steal. But everyone just wanted to show their bravado, probably vent out all the pent up frustrations on the guy!!

And this was an educated middle class neighborhood in a metro.

[anthusiast]

A couple of things coming into play:
* Social networking platforms like Whatsapp etc help in sharing news/rumor/hatred in real-time. This is the food for the mob. A small dosage daily pushes them to the edge.
* When the mob gets into action, record the incident and share it wildly again.

Mob behavior is an age old thing. Only new is that much of the incidents are now recorded and shared via social networks.

[Lalvaz]

Mob violence was always rampant in India. Remember 84 riots? Remember 89?

Why do people take the law into their own hands?
I believe it's because they've lost faith in the police and more importantly in the judiciary of this country.

Time and again we've seen cases where criminals get away scot free or with a slight rap on the wrist. As a result, people feel that handing a criminal over to the police won't help. The criminal will get away, so they decide to roll up their sleeves and dispense their version of justice.

We can debate whether it's right or wrong but this is the anarchy that's spreading across our country.

Time has come for a total revamp of our legal system. Unfortunately our courts want a new law banning mob violence and lynching. As if it was ever legally allowed!

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by locusjag

I was thinking "Well, if I take my little kid along for sight-seeing, the locals will know I'm for real. I'm a genuine family man, see?"

Then it struck me - if people want to kill, they'll place themselves on a slippery slope of their making. There's nothing anyone can do, when a mob has accumulated to get them.

For instance, if my kid were to cry and throw a tantrum (as kids do), anyone who wants me killed can declare that an apparently kidnapped kid is being abused and she is crying loudly by the lake, for anyone who's still human and cares enough to deliver justice...

It happened, just couple of weeks back - http://www.newindianexpress.com/stat...g-1839279.html

A man travelling with his one and a half-year-old daughter was beaten up by a mob in the district, after being accused of 'child lifting'. The incident took place in broad daylight in Belthangady in Dakshina Kannada district.

Well, Dakshina Kannada is the most literate district in Karnataka, with 100% literacy.

[typlo]

The news is terrible these days. Being a person who has been thrashed by a mob for no fault of theirs (the scene was different though, at a road incident), I have only a few things to say:

1. The mob constitutes of people like us, the difference is that they have way too much time on their hand and hence the WhatsApp rumours etc. fuel their daily lives.
2. They do not reason. They do not care. They act on animal instincts rather than civilized beings. Some are there just for the lulz, aka, for beating up an unknown person, aka, hooliganism. Walk away as soon as you sense something is wrong with the crowd around you.
3. There is no legal help. Don't be surprised just because every eyewitness turns on you.
4. The mob is trigger happy. The worst part is, you don't even know what might upset the mob.
5. It is impossible to identify the members of a mob before the start of a gathering. Everyone who seems least interested will gladly take up the offer of drawing first blood.

As mentioned by other members, the causes of mob mentality are overpopulation, illiteracy, the fallacy of the judicial system and political temper. Regardless of the existence of good samaritans, the mob prevails and thrives because of their sheer numbers. I hope a solution to this problem is invented soon. It is bothersome to read such news and witness such events in 2018.

[HKap]

Its sad to see the human race touch new lows everyday. I don't even know what triggers this "mob". It's insane that in this day and age people are driven and motivated to kill people because of absolutely stupid reasons.

I believe there is also a silent and more sophisticated mob lurking in our society. It's these large corporations (pharma and food companies like Monsanto). These guys are driven purely by money and will not think twice about the sufferings they cause to millions. Just because the death isn't instant doesn't make them any less culpable.

Look at the latest orders by a court ordering J&J to pay millions to women who got cancer because of the J&J powder they continued using for years.

It's sad that humans don't care about fellow humans and other living beings. A friend once told me that humans will kill all other species on the planet and then kill each other. Looks like the each other part is already coming true and if this wheel doesn't stop now, I'm afraid the momentum it gathers will keep powering it to achieve more speed until it goes off the cliff!

/ end rant

[MaxTorque]

Unfortunately, mob violence has become a norm nowadays. There are many aspects to this severe issue.
1. Sometimes people underestimate the consequences of taking the law into their hands. People thrash a person casually without the intention to harm his/her life, without judging the seriousness and later that person succumbs to the injuries due to lack/delay of getting medical help.
2. The mob does not have a face so that gives them the confidence that they will go unpunished.
3. Though the education matters, we have seen mob lynching in an industrial environment as well.
4. Sometimes the accused are being treated as heroes in the locality/politicians that again aggravate the issue.
5. With the penetration of social media and the internet, news/ rumors are spreading fast and people believe in them without verifying. Recently there were many such incidents related to child lifting.

This issue needs an immediate attention it will lead to a serious problem in near future.

Overall our trust level has been dropped significantly. To give an example, back in the 2000s whenever I had to walk for say 1 Km, I would have asked for a lift from an unknown two-wheeler guy. But nowadays, I will be a bit reluctant to ask for a lift. Similarly, people will be reluctant to offer a lift. Even same when I am on the other side, I will be very reluctant to offer a lift to someone who is completely unfamiliar to me.

[aaychat]

We talk about development, superpower, fast-growing economy and what not. Honestly, I am starting to feel scared to live in this country. What's the point of being all of that when citizens cant have the basic feeling of security?

Just last night, I was on my way to the airport in Pune to pick my parents up and was driving through Khadki. There was a white Swift Dzire cab ahead of me. By mistake, it splashed a local youth. I could tell that it wasn't the cab guy's fault because a biker from the opposite side suddenly swerved towards the cab which made him instinctively turn away.

Still, as if almost on cue, three guys surrounded the car, made the driver open the door and started thrashing him while dragging him out. They didn't wait one second to find out why he did what he did and were not interested in what he was saying.

I somehow got out of there since I was in a DL car and didn't want to take my chances with a mob. I just hope the guy is alright.

Throughout the rest of the drive, I couldn't help but think how this wasn't the case until recently. I didn't feel unsafe going out. Forget rural areas, this has started happening in the middle of big cities, during peak hours with no fear of repercussions.

I don't know if this counts as a political discussion. To me, it's about feeling safe on the road in your own country and without that, there is no meaning for good cars or forums.

[nettooran]

When we were all young, we believed that the WWF was a real fight and the trashing was indeed genuine. That was ignorance as a kid. The same is happening here. cheaper smartphones and almost free mobile internet has helped it reach that group of people who are illiterate and still believes that gamma rays are going to destroy earth if we don't switch off all electronic devices. For them smartphones are something great that only speaks truth. As someone mentioned, there are a lot of "Whatsapp uncles and aunties in all our whatsapp family or residential groups who keeps on forwarding stupid forwards. It takes a lot of explanation to them to convince them that they are not true. Still they have that ego issue when youngsters tell them they are false news.

Heard in the afternoon news that whatsapp has taken some actions now. one person cannot forward a message to more that 5 people . Don't know how that helps. I suggest there should be some option where a message can be tagged spam by the users and the message comes under scrutiny once it gets tagged by a huge number.

[landcruiser123]

This is an ever existing problem. Just grown out of control with the advent of mobile phones, cheap data plans and communication apps like WhatsApp. It has become easy to spread rumors with videos, images and text- and it spreads rapidly over the last few years.

Education is key. We can't expect people not to believe whatever they see unless they are educated and empowered to judge right from wrong.

Sometimes, the police just can't handle big mobs. We can't be unfair and put the blame on them.