Life, we as children were told, is sacred. Live and let others live peacefully. Respect fellow human beings and try to understand their point of views. The laws of the country are sanctum sanctorium and must be followed. We grew up hearing several such gems that were aimed at strengthening the societal bonds almost on daily basis. And it used to reflect in our dealings with our friends, neighbours and every other person we met.
But the very approach of life seems to have changed drastically. Rising incidents of violence in past few years make us wonder what today’s children are being taught. The youngsters, who now form majority in the country, could be seen picking up fights and killing someone at mere drop of a hat.
The case of an e-rickshaw driver, who was recently beaten to death by a group of people near the GTB Nagar metro station in Delhi for objecting to the accused urinating on the road, is just one example of the changed mindset.
Pointing out even the most sanest thing to someone, it seems, now upsets the person to the level that he doesn’t hesitate in attacking and killing the person. In another incident, a 24-year-old auto rickshaw driver was beaten to death in Mumbai, allegedly over the suspicion that he stole a mobile phone. Separately, an agitated customer who had lost his cable connection due to non-payment of bills killed the cable operator in Ahmedabad.
Again, a 26-year-old mentally challenged youth died at a birthday party in Bhagrekar Nagar of Mumbai, after he was brutally assaulted by five members of a family after a woman of the family thought he was harassing her. In a Jharkhand district, three men were dragged out of a house and beaten to death as villagers accused them of kidnapping children. In Chandigarh, a rickshaw-puller’s throat was slit at Sector 17 allegedly over parking issue.
Mind you, these incidents have nothing to do with the ongoing violence being flamed by a handful of vested interests across the country in the name of cow protection, love jihad, etc. In a latest incident, two Muslim men were beaten to death by a mob in Assam over allegations of cow theft. Since May 2015, the violent vigilante campaign against beef consumption has led to the killings of at least 10 Muslims, including a 12-year-old boy, in seven mob violence cases, according to Human Rights Watch. Members of other minority communities, including Christians, Sikhs and Dalits are also being regularly targeted on one pretext or the other.
Mob lynching trend, if left unbridled, will add to chaos, which even security personnel won’t be able to handle after certain point of time. Hate-mongers must understand that encouraging individuals and groups to carry out violence against particular communities may benefit their short-term political and social agendas, but these youngsters, who have started caring less for the law and order, are more likely to become threat and liability for their own organisations and the country. Parents, at their end, should once again start teaching their kids about importance of life, respect of fellow human beings and crucialness of living in peace and harmony. Hopefully, then the things will again start looking up.
