29th April 2020
Musings....... Lynching is a word that I learnt over the past few years, specifically around the time this present dispensation came to power. Mob lynching has become synonymous with killing in the name of religion. We have heard of cases mob lynching over fake news ranging from possession of Beef from Uttar Pradesh ( Akhlak lynching case ); to the lynching of the poor young Dalit man Madhu in Kerala over fake news of his stealing food. In all these cases the perpetrators were the powerful entitled part of society and the victims happened to be the poor minority - both religious and social. It was hence with surprise that I heard the news on 16th April 2020 of the lynching of two Hindu Sadhus and their driver in Ghadchinchale Village in Palghar District of Maharashtra, apparently by a vigilante group over fake WhatsApp rumours of theives operating in the area during the countrywide Coronavirus lockdown. The two sadhus belonged to the Juna Akhara, who were travelling at night t...