The Opposition Congress will flag incidents of mob lynching in Meghalaya during the upcoming budget session of the Assembly.

Senior Congress legislator M. Ampareen Lyngdoh on Tuesday reminded that the Supreme Court had recently sent advisories to all states to institute a stringent law to address this lawlessness.

The Sunday incident was not the first of its kind.

In July last year, a 32-year-old was beaten to death at Klew Lum village under Bhoirymbong block in Ri Bhoi district after he was accused of being a cutthroat.

“The Opposition will flag this agenda through the right forum in the upcoming budget session. I urge the government to fast-track the investigation processes and punish the culprits. I also take note of the efforts of the East Khasi Hills district police who acted promptly and initiated search and rescue to safely round up the youths who were stranded,” Ampareen said.

Social activist Michael N. Syiem said what was required was educating and creating awareness that superstition can backfire. “To change the mindset is most important,” he said.

The Meghalaya BJP, while condemning the incident, appealed to the people to refrain from superstitious beliefs. It urged the state government to take stern action against the culprits and provide compensation to the family of the deceased and financial assistance to the injured.

In 2018, the Supreme Court came out with certain directions to deal with mob lynching cases.

Under preventive measures, it directed state governments to designate a senior police officer as the nodal officer in each district. Such a nodal officer should be assisted by one of the DSP-rank officers in the district for taking measures to prevent incidents of mob violence and lynching. They should constitute a special task force so as to procure intelligence reports about the people who are likely to commit such crimes or who are involved in spreading hate speeches, provocative statements and fake news.

It should also be the duty of the Centre and the states to take steps to curb and stop dissemination of irresponsible and explosive messages, videos and other material on various social media platforms which have a tendency to incite mob violence and lynching of any kind.

The state governments have been asked to prepare a lynching/mob violence victim compensation scheme.

Cases of lynching and mob violence should be specifically tried by a designated court/fast-track courts earmarked for that purpose in each district. Such courts should hold trial of the case on a day-to-day basis. The trial should preferably be concluded within six months from the date of taking cognisance.

To set a stern example in cases of mob violence and lynching, the Supreme Court has directed that upon conviction of the accused person(s), the trial court must ordinarily award maximum sentence as provided for various offences under the provisions of the IPC.

The apex court had further recommend to Parliament to create a separate offence for lynching and provide adequate punishment for the same.

“We have said so as a special law in this field would instil a sense of fear for law among the people who involve themselves in such kinds of activities. There can be no trace of doubt that fear of law and veneration for the command of law constitute the foundation of a civilised society,” the court had said.