Assam Assembly rejects mob lynching prevention bill, says existing laws sufficient to deal with it

During the autumn session of the Assam Assembly on September 12, a private member's bill aimed at preventing mob lynching was rejected by a voice vote. The state government contended that existing criminal laws effectively address and penalize such offenses.

The bill, titled 'The Assam Mob Lynching Prevention Bill, 2023,' was introduced by AIUDF legislator Aminul Islam on the second day of the assembly session. Islam highlighted the urgency of such a law, pointing to a series of mob lynching incidents in the state in recent years. He emphasized that there is often public outcry following each such incident, demanding the enactment of a specific law to combat this menace.

The proposed legislation aimed to introduce stringent provisions, including imprisonment for all individuals involved in any mob lynching incident, as part of its efforts to curb this alarming trend.

Responding to the proposed bill, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika acknowledged the gravity of the issue, stating that mob lynching is a reprehensible act that no civilized society should tolerate. However, he reiterated that the state government has been actively addressing instances of mob lynching through existing provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

"We already have different sections of IPC and CrPC to deal with mob lynching. Hence, we feel there is no need for a separate bill to address it," Hazarika explained.

The rejection of the bill came after Deputy Speaker Numol Momin, presiding over the session, put it to a voice vote, and a majority of legislators opposed its passage.