No specific data on lynching: Centre

The government does not maintain specific data on lynching incidents in the country, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir said the state governments were competent to deal with such offences under the existing laws.

"The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) does not maintain specific data with respect to lynching incidents in the country.

"The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has, however, issued advisory to the states and Union territories from time to time to maintain law and order and ensure that any person who takes law into his/her own hand is punished promptly as per (the) law," he said, while replying to a written question.

The minister's response comes a day after the Supreme Court had asked Parliament to consider enacting a new law to effectively deal with incidents of mob lynching and cow vigilantism, saying "horrendous acts of mobocracy" cannot be allowed to become a new norm.