A citizen—normally from a working-class background, generally Muslim, often dalit, in one case two Hindu sadhus, or on occasion someone accused of being a child kidnapper—is recorded on phone cameras, being thrashed by a group of people, pretty much always all men, and the videos then find their way onto social media.
The videos spark instant outrage, depending on the identity and issue fault line that the victim occupies. Social media users are outraged, pressure builds on local police, first information reports (FIRs) are lodged, and a few arrests are made.
But there is not always closure or justice.
In the 2016 Una flogging incident, a group of higher caste men tied dalit men to a jeep and flogged them while recording the incident. The video went viral creating a huge outrage, FIRs were filed, and 43 accused were arrested, 35 later released on bail. In 2018, however, the prime accused allegedly sought out the victims and thrashed them again, while on bail!
Last week, a video surfaced from Ghaziabad where a 72-year-old Muslim man is seen being thrashed by a group of men. According to initial reports— published and broadcast by a range of media platforms—in a written complaint to the police, the victim, Abdul Samad Saifi, had alleged that he was offered a lift by a group of men, who took him to a spot where they thrashed him, forced him to chant “Jai Shri Ram”, made him watch videos of other Muslims receiving the same treatment, and then chopped off his beard.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 04, 2021-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 04, 2021-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Chase For The Mace
The next three years throw up a gamut of challenges for Indian cricket; winning the World Test Championship is the most important
Two-horse race
Can the NC-Congress alliance reshape the future of Jammu and Kashmir?
Man-eaters don't spare women
Critics say Narendra Modi’s decade-long rule has been one of jobless growth. Factories produced more, companies earned more, owners profited more, the government earned more; but fewer hands were hired, or those who were hired got work for fewer days. Putting the last two together, economists said the Indian economy generated fewer ‘man-days’.
Decolonising the mindset
The vision of a Viksit Bharat hinges on India T breaking from the shackles of a colonial mindset and embodying the freedom of being unapologetically Indian. The laws of any nation are the cornerstone of its growth. The legal system offers the stability and adaptability essential for a country to thrive. The laws must be simple to understand and specific in their consequence.
The making of India's Mr Difficult Words
When my publishers at Aleph invited me to put together a book on words and language, I hesitated for a brief moment.
Couture's creepy corridors
If one is spending a summer in New York, any summer in New York, an absolute must-do is to spend an afternoon at the city’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, on the edge of Central Park, just gawking in gobsmacked awe at the annual fashion exhibition the museum’s Costume Institute puts together.
Stree 2 has given us hope
The unprecedented success of Stree 2 is the best news we have had in the recent times and with an unabashedly feminist agenda, has comprehensively out-performed Sandeep Reddy Vanga's toxic masculine star-studded Animal at the box office is (to me, at least) kind of the cinematic equivalent of Awadhesh Prasad winning Ayodhya-it redeems my faith in the inherent decency of Indians.
BRANDS BEYOND RAMPS
Whether through carpets, fragrances or home interiors, Indian couturiers are defying their own limits
RESERVOIR OF WORRIES
India has a robust dam management systém on paper, but inadequate maintenance and climate change pose serious threats
INTER-STATE ISSUES HAVE NO EFFECT ON DAM SAFETY
INTERVIEW: KUSHVINDER VOHRA INTERVIEW Chairman, Central Water Commission