Mob violence is emerging as a serious law and order problem in India. By giving suitable examples, analyze the causes and consequences of such violence.
Approach · directive: “analyse”
What it asks · Analyse why mob violence is rising and what it does to society and the State, citing examples.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Analyse the causes of mob violence, with suitable examples
- Analyse the consequences of mob violence, with suitable examples
Open with · 'Lynching is an affront to the rule of law and to the exalted values of the Constitution itself,' the Supreme Court held in Tehseen Poonawalla (2018); mob violence is a crowd's unlawful force on rumour or suspicion, substituting its verdict for the courts and police.
Cover
- Rumours and social media: false messages on child-lifting and cattle smuggling spread quickly; child-lifting rumours led to killings in Jharkhand in 2017.
- Identity and vigilantism: self-styled cow protection groups, as in Dadri (2015) and Alwar (2017), target minorities and Dalits.
- Weak law enforcement: slow trials, low conviction, police inaction and political patronage produce a sense of impunity.
- Social factors: distrust of the police, prejudice, unemployment and frustration among youth, and a mob's anonymity reduce individual guilt.
- Consequences: loss of life, fear among targeted groups, communal polarisation and damage to the State's monopoly over force.
- Consequences: harm to the rule of law, livelihoods such as cattle trade, India's image and investment climate.
- Response: quick FIRs and fast-track trials, accountable district officials, curbs on rumours online and fresh law; the Supreme Court gave directions in Tehseen Poonawalla (2018).
Close with · A mob is the failure of the State to be visibly present; swift, impartial policing, the Poonawalla directions and certain punishment under BNS Section 103(2) restore the constitutional promise that no citizen is judged by a crowd.
Add value (verified)
- Supreme Court, Tehseen S. Poonawalla v Union of India (17 July 2018): 'Lynching is an affront to the rule of law and to the exalted values of the Constitution itself.'Tehseen S. Poonawalla v Union of India, W.P. (C) 754 of 2016, judgment of 17 July 2018 — Supreme Court of India ↗“Lynching is an affront to the rule of law and to the exalted values of the Constitution itself.”
- Poonawalla (2018), preventive measure: States to nominate a senior police officer as Nodal Officer in each district to ensure vigilantes do not take the law into their own hands.Tehseen S. Poonawalla v Union of India, judgment of 17 July 2018 — Supreme Court of India ↗“will nominate a senior police officer of the Police Department as the Nodal Officer in each District, who shall ensure that these vigilantes do not take law unto themselves”
- Poonawalla (2018), punitive measure: lynching and mob violence cases to be tried by designated fast-track courts in each district on a day-to-day basis.Tehseen S. Poonawalla v Union of India, judgment of 17 July 2018 — Supreme Court of India ↗“The cases of lynching and mob violence shall be specifically tried by designated court/Fast Track Courts earmarked for that purpose in each district. Such courts shall hold trial of the case on a day to day basis.”
- Poonawalla (2018): the Court recommended that Parliament create a separate offence for lynching, as a special law 'would instill a sense of fear for law'.Tehseen S. Poonawalla v Union of India, judgment of 17 July 2018 — Supreme Court of India ↗“the 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 instill a sense of fear for law amongst the people who involve themselves in such kinds of activities.”
- BNS 2023, Section 103(2): murder by a group of five or more persons acting in concert on grounds of race, caste or community, sex, place of birth, language, personal belief or similar ground is punishable with death or life imprisonment and fine.PIB: Mob lynching and snatching related provisions in new criminal laws (Ministry of Home Affairs, December 2024) ↗“Section 103(2) of BNS provides that when a group of five or more persons acting in concert commits murder on the ground of race, caste or community, sex, place of birth, language, personal belief or any other simil”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2017, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 373words · Minimalist IAS
'Lynching is an affront to the rule of law and to the exalted values of the Constitution itself,' the Supreme Court held in Tehseen Poonawalla (2018). Mob violence is a crowd's unlawful use of force on rumour or suspicion, substituting its verdict for the courts and the police.
Causes of mob violence, with examples
- Rumour on social media: WhatsApp messages about child-lifters led to beatings to death in Jharkhand in May 2017; forwarding outruns any police response.
- Identity vigilantism: self-styled cow protectors killed Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri (2015) and Pehlu Khan in Alwar (2017) and flogged Dalits in Una (2016).
- Impunity: slow trials, low conviction, police delay or complicity and political patronage teach crowds that violence carries no cost.
- Distrust of justice: crowds seek 'instant justice' against suspected thieves and witches, as when a rape accused was dragged from Dimapur jail and lynched (2015).
- Crowd psychology: anonymity dissolves individual guilt; prejudice, unemployment and frustration among young men supply the tinder.
Consequences of mob violence, with examples
- Life and liberty: killings, fear among minorities and Dalits, families uprooted; Article 21 hollowed for the victims.
- Rule of law: the State's monopoly over force erodes, police lose credibility, and each unpunished case invites the next.
- Social fabric: communal polarisation and cycles of retaliation between communities.
- Economy and image: cattle trade, dairy, leather and transport disrupted; investors read lynchings as State failure.
| Stage | Supreme Court direction (Poonawalla, 2018) |
|---|---|
| Preventive | Senior police nodal officer in every district |
| Remedial | Prompt FIR; victim compensation scheme |
| Punitive | Day-to-day fast-track trials; action against negligent officials |
Way forward
- Implement Poonawalla: preventive, remedial and punitive measures, and the Court's call to Parliament for a separate offence, since a special law would 'instill a sense of fear for law'.
- Since then: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Section 103(2) punishes murder by five or more persons acting in concert on grounds of race, caste, community, sex, language or belief with death or life imprisonment.
- Beyond law: rumour-busting with platforms, community policing and police reform, so trust in justice replaces 'instant justice'.
A mob is the failure of the State to be visibly present. Swift, impartial policing, the Poonawalla directions and certain punishment under Section 103(2) restore the promise that no citizen is judged by a crowd.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
