NEW DELHI: The mob attack on Swami Agnivesh in Jharkhand saw the political opposition unite against the “growing culture of mob lynching” in the country and led to senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor demanding in Lok Sabha that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “break his silence” on the issue.

Tharoor not only drew the House’s attention to the attack on Swami Agnivesh, but also to the vandalism of his own constituency office in Thiruvananthapuram , Kerala. The vandals had smeared black oil on the walls of his office in reaction to Tharoor’s comment that a “Hindu Pakistan” would be created if BJP returned to power in 2019. Swami Agnivesh, a social activist and critic of the BJP government, was attacked in Pakur, Jharkhand, where he went to attend a programme concerning the Paharia tribe.

Raising the issue in Lok Sabha, Tharoor said, “This is not just an attack on constitutionally-sanctioned MP’s office but also a larger attempt by incendiary elements and their digital equivalents to destroy the idea of India as a pluralistic and accepting democracy. Their victims, in recent months, have included intellectuals, minorities, and various citizens of the country. Yesterday, even Swami Agvinesh was attacked. These are people who have expressed dissent against rising intolerance in today’s India and they are being attacked physically.”

Coming as it did on the day the Supreme Court censured the Centre for the growing incidents of mob violence, vigilantism and mob lynching across the country, the brazen assault on Swami Agnivesh, 80, also led to political parties raising, once again, the demand for legislation on mob lynching. On the one hand, while former deputy CM of Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav alleged that the attack exhibited the ruling party’s inability to handle ideological opposition.

The Left parties, CPI and CPM also demanded the arrest of culprits and an early trial through a fast-track court. The CPM polit bureau also demanded that a “comprehensive law” be enacted in the monsoon session of Parliament to meet the apex court direction. In a formal statement, the CPM said, “The Supreme Court observations on mob lynching have held up a mirror to the Prime Minister and the BJP Government under whose watch such crimes are being committed and private armies are allowed to rule the roost. The very fact that the culprits, even when identified, go unpunished speaks volumes of the patronization provided by RSS/BJP to them.”

