The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) collected data on mob lynching, hate crimes and cow vigilantism in 2017 but it was discontinued as the data was unreliable as these crimes are not defined.
The reply was given by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in response to a question by Congress member Gaurav Gogoi and BJP’s Maneka Gandhi.
In response to a question on whether the government has made any efforts to define ‘hate crime’ in the criminal law framework of the country, the reply stated, “The intention of the government is to create a legal structure which is citizen-centric, prioritises to secure life, preserve human rights and provide speedy justice to the vulnerable sections of the society. The amendments in laws is a continuous process and amendments are made taking into account the views of various stake holders.”
It added that two advisories were sent to States in 2018 for implementation of the judgment of the Supreme Court in the matter of Tehseen Poonawalla v. Union of India.
“The government through audio-visual media has also generated public awareness to curb the menace of mob lynching. The government has also sensitized the service providers to take steps to check the propagation of false news and rumours having potential to incite mob violence and lynching,” the reply said.
