Will Vigilante Violence Rule India?

www.ozy.com [OZY.COM]( | [News]( | [MAGAZINE]( | [VIDEO]( Follow [Special Briefing]( IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL DAILY BRIEF [Bad Cop?]( [The Hyderabad Dossier]( This is an [OZY Special Briefing](, an extension of the Presidential Daily Brief. The Special Briefing tells you what you need to know about an important issue, individual or story that is making news. Each one serves up an interesting selection of facts, opinions, images and videos in order to catch you up and vault you ahead. WHAT TO KNOW What Happened? The four men accused of raping and murdering a 27-year-old veterinarian in Hyderabad, India, last week were shot dead by police early Friday. Authorities said the suspects, who had been taken to the crime scene for questioning, attempted to grab officers' weapons and flee. Their deaths sparked celebrations in several Indian cities and on social media — as well as a response from the victim's mother that “justice has been done.” Why does it matter? One police reformer called the suspects' deaths “entirely avoidable” but added that it was too early to tell whether they amounted to extrajudicial actions. Either way, the so-called “encounter killing” raises fresh questions over the rule of law in India, where vigilante violence against minorities is on the rise, and a slow-moving justice system means that brutal assaults on women fuel ever more calls for street justice. HOW TO THINK ABOUT IT Suspicious circumstances. Human rights groups are already calling for a probe into whether the official version of events holds water. For one, the men weren’t handcuffed when they arrived at the crime scene, where police were searching for the victim’s belongings. After snatching two officers’ weapons, the group reportedly began firing, as well as hurling sticks and stones, as police “maintained restraint” for 15 minutes, according to the local police commissioner. “The law has done its duty,” he told reporters. Call to action. Regardless of how exactly Friday’s event played out, the shocking nature of the veterinarian’s rape last week had provoked a furious response. As protests erupted around India — fueled by anger over years of similar crimes — even elected officials chimed in with calls for unconventional justice. The four men, said Bollywood-star-turned-lawmaker Jaya Bachchan (pictured) in parliament this week, “should be brought out in public and lynched." Others echoed similar sentiments, with another MP suggesting that courts should order convicted rapists to be castrated. Brutal history. What makes this particularly alarming is India’s track record of various forms of vigilante violence. Whether it’s mob lynchings of Muslims over the suspected slaughter of cows, or extrajudicial killings by cops to exact revenge, India’s state institutions appear increasingly fragile. The corruption also reaches deep into the state: Earlier in his career, Home Minister Amit Shah — whom [OZY profiled in August]( — was briefly jailed on suspicion that he orchestrated an “encounter killing” of three people. At a 2007 election rally in Gujarat, then-chief minister Narendra Modi, now India’s leader, whipped up crowd support for one of those murders. Meanwhile, angry mobs have killed suspected rapists themselves, though crooked justice also works the other way around. Just this week, an assault victim was set ablaze on her way to court by a gang of men that included the alleged attacker. The new normal? The major concern is that each unpunished rape or killing helps gradually erode public trust in law enforcement even further. Among the millions of pending cases in Indian courts, for example, more than 125,000 are reported rapes. There are some signs of hope: The commentary from officials like Bachchan sparked a flood of criticism on social media from Indians who emphasized that only the formal justice system should decide the fate of serious offenders. Yet whether such voices of reason will resonate more broadly remains to be seen. WHAT TO READ 'If You Saw Her Body, You Will Never Sleep Again.' Despair as India Rape Crisis Grows, [by Hannah Ellis-Petersen in The Guardian]( “The consensus among activists and women is that the problem is getting worse. The key social issues behind the crisis remain unaddressed and the culture of impunity for sexual crimes remains firmly embedded.” This Is No Justice: We Need Serious Police And Judicial Reforms Not Shortcuts Like Hyderabad Encounter, [by Arihant Pawariya in Swarajya]( “One isn’t surprised at the jubilation that this police action has elicited across the country. It is a testament to the faith and trust (or lack of it) people have in due process and the rule of law.” WHAT TO WATCH Celebrations in India After Police Shoot Dead Rape-Murder Suspects [Watch on AFP on YouTube]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Gang-Rape of Woman Is Raising Familiar Questions in India “There is a lack of police resources, lack of police accountability [and a] lack of fast-track courts.” [Watch on CNN on YouTube]( WHAT TO SAY AT THE WATERCOOLER Staggering figures. According to the most recent government data, police in India registered more than 32,500 reports of rape in 2017 — or 90 per day. 50M PEOPLE AND GROWING OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Read Online](