The public lynching of an innocent man suggest how brutalisation of society is now normalised
-Vidya Bhushan Rawat
THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK– The public lynching of Hariom, a young man from the Valmiki community in Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, by a group of men in Unchahar, stands as another chilling reminder of the growing culture of hate and impunity in the state. What makes this tragedy more disturbing is the apparent normalization of such brutality and the silence of those in power who are expected to uphold justice. When mob violence becomes entertainment, filmed and shared with pride, the rot runs deeper than mere lawlessness—it speaks of a society losing its moral compass.
Hariom had travelled from Fatehpur to Unchahar for work when he was mistaken for a thief. Instead of calling the police, a mob decided to take the law into its own hands. They tied him to a pole and beat him mercilessly, as if his life had no value. In the video that went viral, one of the attackers can be seen pressing his foot on Hariom’s neck—a horrifying image of humiliation and dehumanization. My friend Dheeraj Kumar from Fatehpur, who happens to be a distant relative of Hariom, informed me about the incident. Deeply shaken after seeing the video, he sent it to me. Yet, as a matter of principle, I do not share violent images or videos on social media. Violence should never be consumed as spectacle; it must compel reflection, not voyeurism.
The Unchahar police have arrested six accused and are reportedly looking for six more. It is imperative that a watertight case be built so that the culprits face the maximum punishment possible under the law. No leniency, no excuses. The act was not just a crime against an individual but against the very spirit of humanity and justice. However, the larger question remains: why do such incidents continue unabated despite repeated judicial interventions and widespread condemnation?
Mob lynching in India did not begin yesterday. It gained its grotesque legitimacy with the killing of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri, Noida, in 2015. From then on, the disease spread. We saw Dalits flogged in Una, Gujarat. Muslims lynched in Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Now, the violence has turned inward—touching even those who might not have imagined they could become victims of the same poisonous ideology. Hatred once unleashed spares no one.
Despite the Supreme Court’s strong words against mob lynching, little has changed on the ground. The court had issued guidelines, urging states to take preventive measures and act firmly against hate crimes, but the implementation has been lackluster. The police often act only when outrage builds on social media. Meanwhile, the political class largely remains silent. Opposition parties, who should be raising their voices in Parliament and on the streets, appear hesitant—as if standing up for justice could cost them electorally.
Unfortunately, the case of #hariom by now has exposed the hypocrisy of the political parties and #Bahujan intellectuals who have shamelessly and criminally remained silent on the issue. Samajwadi Party chief #AkhileshYadav always find time to write about the Bulls and cows roaming in the street but shockingly he and his party has shamelessly not spoken a word about the same. One does not know what stops #BahujanSamajParty from speaking. Some of the BSP sympathisers have written about this incident on social media but broadly the party’s official handle has remained silent. The Congress seems to have woken up but that too look half hearted. Is it the fear of the antagonising the caste accused of the violence ? It seems that political parties have kept quiet because the case is not ‘suitable’ for them. This is atrocious.
While nobody is making it a #castecrime but it does not mean it does not happen. Normally, such a crime cant happen to dominant castes. It also reflect that there was a dereliction of duty on part of the police as reports are suggesting because they did not take him into custody when saw him at a village. Normally, a person with psychological disorder need to be handled with sympathy and care. Secondly, why are people taking law into their hands. Why cant they handover a person if caught red handed, to the police ? Third, why is the brutality being exonerated. Actually, for the last two decade we have seen the brutalities being celebrated and justified. Everytime, an incident happen and this was justified by some arguments, comparison with any past event and then normalise the violence. The result is that Indian society is fast turning into a lawless mob which can turn brutal to any one. Travelling to Indian villages or rural areas in the night without any local escort is extremely dangerous even when law and order otherwise is completely collapsing.
The answer is simple. With growing unemployment, the youths are actually thinking earning money from ‘digital’ world. Every one has a youtube channel or on instagram or facebook. People are waiting for some ‘miracle’. They look for something ‘different’ to get the likes or views. That has resulted in even recording the brutal events rather than supporting any one because ultimate the video is going to get viral. Now, people are realising it that social media too cant get them job. The petty crimes are rising at the rural hinterlands. Theft, loots, murders are increasing. Like people in the villages are now saying that the people are flying drones to find out locations of houses and then going for theft there. That is the reason that Hari Om was caught but these are too simple. Any one can make out from the person about him. The idea is itself caste and class biases otherwise Hariom could have saved. Unfortunately, he neither had a mobile nor anything else to make a call for. But that is how a person with psychological disorder can be but then brutalities have been normalised and people dont think they are doing anything wrong. In fact on such an occasion they feel it is an achievement.
While, I dont expect much from the political parties who are expert in calculations but what stops of the ‘intellectuals’ and activists’ from speaking against the horrendous #casteviolence. Supreme Court must act on it and order a thorough inquiry so that steps can be taken that such things dont happen again and no innocent person face brutalisation by a mob in such a way as Hariom faced.
