Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday brought the issue of lynching under spotlight saying that all cases of lynching must be paid equal attention.
Prakash Javadekar said that focus is only on a "certain type of Lynching". There is a big debate on religious lynching but silence takes over in cases of lynching that happens due to peddling of fake news, such as lynching on suspicion of being child-lifters.
Moreover, speaking of the victims of lynching, Prakash Javadekar said, "Ek jhoot khabar chali ki child lifters aye hain, aisi afwah fake news ke roop mein aati hai, aur wo 20 log ki jaan leta hai. Tab ek lynching ki charcha hoti hai, lekin ye 20 log bhi lynching se mare iski charcha nahi hoti." (A rumour gets circulated that child lifters have arrived in an area. Such a rumour comes in the form of fake news and takes the life of 20 people. Then the case of lynching is discussed in length but no one talks about the 20 people who died falling victim to it.)
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Speaking on lynchings earlier, Javadekar had said that "this is the worst crime of mankind. If there is any incident of lynching, this requires urgent condemnation and there should not be any such incident".
The Union Minister then went to add that "there is selective amnesia. In 1984, Sikhs were burnt alive. Three thousand Sikhs were lynched". Javadekar had alleged that 16 incidents of mob lynching were reported in 2012 and 14 occurred in 2013.