Jharkhand Governor returns state's anti-mob lynching Bill

Ranchi: The Jharkhand State government's Prevention of Mob Violence Bill, 2021, got returned by Governor Ramesh Bais with two objections, The Indian Express reported. The nature of the objections against the bill passed by the state assembly nearly three months ago has not been placed yet before Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the report said.

The mob lynching issue in the state gathered wide attention in 2019, after one man, Tabrez Ansari, was tied to a pole and beaten to death by a mob in Dhatkidih village in Seraikela Kharsawan. He was accused of theft and was forced to chant "Jai Shri Ram" and "Jai Hanuman", a video that surfaced featuring the incident showed.

In December last year, BJP MLA Amit Kumar Mandal demanded the definition of "mob" during an amendment discussion of the anti-mob lynching bill. He also claimed that the term could be misused. BJP leaders further accused the state CM of appeasement politics.

But, CM Soren responded that BJP was trying to confuse people. He told reporters that when government say "mob lynching" it is not the Muslim Lynching Act. It is not the Adivasi Lynching Act or Hindu Lynching Act either. A mob is a mob, he said.

After passing the anti-mob lynching Bill by voice vote on December 21, 2021, it was sent before the Governor for approval.