The issue of mob violence was once again discussed in both Houses of Parliament for the second day on Thursday, with two Ministers blaming social media for the rise of such incidents.
In Lok Sabha, when the issue was raised by a Congress member, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said public order was a State subject and that his Ministry had issued advisories to States twice — in 2016, and 2018. "This is not the first time such incidents are being reported. Lynchings have happened in the past as well," Mr. Singh said in Hindi.
Terming the incidents of mob violence "unfortunate," Mr. Singh said many of these incidents were triggered by "unverified fake news" spread through social media. He informed the House that the government has taken up the issue with social media platforms and that they have been asked to ensure proper checks are installed in their platforms.
Unhappy with the Minister's reply, Congress staged a walkout. “The Home Minister’s statement in Lok Sabha on mob lynching was not satisfactory at all, that is why we staged a walkout from the house. This is not a game of ping-pong that States and Centre keep shifting responsibilities,” Congress MP Sashi Tharoor told news agency ANI.
In Rajya Sabha, Bihar MP Harivansh spoke on the need for having a national policy on social media, citing reports on its effect in the U.S. presidential elections and the misuse of user data by Cambridge Analytica. He also said it was "worrisome that many people have been lynched based on social media rumours."
In a strongly-worded speech, CPI MP D. Raja asked, "shouldn't we be ashamed that we are discussing mob lynching in the House calling ourselves a civilised society?" He also said the victims of mob violence were mostly Muslims, minorities and the Dalits.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said he had taken up the issue with a social media firm, which was taking steps to prevent users from spreading rumours.