A vigilante version of parental instinct, exacerbated by rumors that kidnappers are on the prowl, has prompted people to lynch strangers in southern Nepal. The timing of the rumors has been instrumental in the spate of killings – elections in India. At least 15 people were lynched between April 12 and May 15 when Indian authorities were dumping Indian squatters at the Indo-Nepal border to ensure smooth voting. The fact that almost all the people lynched were defenseless, unidentified Indians who were seen in towns along the Indo-Nepal border during this period makes it reasonable to assume that the murdered were squatters from across the border who were roaming in Nepali towns looking for food when they were mistaken for kidnappers.
These barbaric acts point at serious lack of public trust in police administration and also the growing tendency to ignore the law. Such pathological response to unfounded rumors can only be seen in places where rule of law is totally absent and people are terrified to the extent that mere rumors can turn them into murderers. The inability of police administration to net kidnappers in the past has contributed to this fear psychosis.
Mob lynching has become an epidemic: Swara Bhasker
Kidnapping, sadly, has graduated into a bitter reality in Nepal in the past few years. Kidnappings of small children are particularly painful for parents as in most cases the kidnapped children do not come back alive even if the parents pay the demanded ransom. This is because a child typically refuses to cooperate with kidnappers, unlike grown-ups who are able to grasp the gravity of the situation and keep quiet until a deal is made. It is exactly this realization, which is supported by many incidents of kidnappings of small children in Kathmandu in the past few years, that has made parents whose children are small overly alarmed. Failure by police to stop kidnappings has amplified this alarm.
The lynching of strangers in southern Nepal should immediately stop. For this, police have to make an example out of those who have taken laws in their own hands. Indian squatters in bordering Nepali towns should also be identified and asked to leave immediately. But this will not suffice to prevent a straying stranger from becoming another victim. In the long run, the police should demonstrate that they are competent enough to protect our children. Public trust in police administration must be restored to stop vigilante actions.
