Hemant Soren’s Anti-Lynching Promise vs Reality: Mob Violence Continues To Afflict Jharkhand

On September 14, 2019, during a public meeting in Jamshedpur, then Leader of the Opposition Hemant Soren slammed the BJP government led by Raghubar Das over the rising incidents of mob lynching in Jharkhand. He said the state was not a “launching pad” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious schemes, but it had instead become a “lynching pad” due to mob violence. The phrase soon turned into a recurring political weapon for Soren against the Das government.

Cut to today and the contradiction is hard to miss. The Chief Minister, who once voiced the “lynching pad” metaphor, now governs a state in which lynching and mob violence continues with alarming regularity.

Back then, as Jharkhand made headlines for lynching incidents, Soren promised that if his government came to power, it would bring in a strict law to stop mob lynching. Voters placed their faith in that pledge, and in November 2019, his coalition won a majority. Soren has remained Chief Minister through a second term. Yet, in the last six years, neither has a dedicated anti-lynching law been implemented, nor has mob violence been contained. The pattern appears unchanged; only the government has changed.

Mob violence under Soren government

 Several lynching cases after Soren came to power drew wide attention, including four deaths in March 2021. On March 10, Sachin Kumar Verma was beaten to death over allegations of truck theft. On March 13, Mubarak Khan was lynched over a suspected motorcycle theft. On  March 19 the same year, Ramchandra Uraon was targeted by a mob and killed.

 The All Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) claims that between March 17, 2016 and  December 4, 2022, Jharkhand witnessed around 58 mob lynching incidents, leading to 35 deaths. The state government, however, has put the number at 46 incidents during 2016–2022.

 The United Milli Forum has also compiled multiple cases of alleged mob violence. Some of the widely reported incidents about alleged victims of mob violence include:

Sanju Pradhan (Simdega, 5 Jan 2022), Jai Murmu (Giridih, 11 Jan 2022), Shamim Ansari (Gumla, 6 May 2022), a woman killed on witchcraft suspicion (Lohardaga, 11 June 2022), Ejaz Khan (Gumla, 3 Oct 2022), Imran Ansari (Bokaro, 7 Oct 2022), Suresh Yadav (Dumka, 17 Oct 2022), Vinod Chaudhary (Giridih, 1 Jan 2023), Mithun Singh Kharwar (Ranchi, 12 May 2023), Mohammad Shamshad Ansari (Ramgarh, 22 Aug 2023), and later incidents in 2024–2025, including the deaths of Akhtar Ansari (Ranchi, 7 July 2024) and Mohammad Kalamuddin Ansari (Bokaro, 8 May 2025).

Two fresh cases in 10 days

 In the last ten days, two more lynching cases have surfaced. In Chaya village under Budmu police station, Ranchi, a young man named Vicky was beaten to death. Police arrested eight accused based on the statement of the victim’s mother. The officer-in-charge Naveen Sharma said an FIR had been registered and investigations were underway, with more suspects likely to be identified.

 A week earlier, in Matihani village under Podaiyahat police station, Godda, 44-year-old Pappu Ansari, a cattle trader from Ranipur village (Pathargama area), was lynched on suspicion of cattle theft. His family alleged the mob asked his name, and after identifying him, the assault intensified. His body was later found in a nearby field.

Jharkhand minister Irfan Ansari called the incident the result of hatred being spread in society, adding that those who took the law into their own hands would face strict action.

 Pappu Ansari’s wife Ayesha Begum told Outlook that her husband earned a living by buying and selling cattle. She said the family—including four daughters and two sons—now had no source of income. She said they had received neither compensation nor assurance, and demanded at least one government job for the kin. Police have so far arrested three people in the case.

Godda SP Mukesh Kumar told Outlook that the action was being taken based on the mob lynching complaint, including provisions under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, along with directions issued by the DGP.

Bill introduced, law hanging fire

The Soren government did bring in the Prevention of Mob Violence and Mob Lynching Bill, 2021, in the Assembly on 21 December 2021. The bill defined mob lynching as violence by a group on grounds such as religion, caste, gender, colour, or other identity markers, and proposed harsh punishment, including rigorous life imprisonment and fines up to Rs 25 lakh. However, the bill still hasn’t taken the concrete shape of a law. 

The bill was sent to the then-Governor Ramesh Bais for assent. In March 2022, he returned it. Bais raised objections on two major points in the bill. According to Afzal Anees of the United Milli Forum, the government resent a revised version in 2022 to the governor, but it was again returned with further corrections suggested. Since then, the government has not sent it a third time, despite the fact that, procedurally, it would have made it difficult for the Governor to withhold assent if the bill were sent for the third time.

Under Article 200 of the Constitution, once a bill is reconsidered and sent again, the Governor’s power to block it becomes limited. The state government is also not bound to accept every suggestion. In other words, the delay looks more about political and administrative reluctance rather than a constitutional deadlock.

Little support for victims’ families

The absence of an enforceable law has real consequences for the families of the victims. Aamna Parveen, wife of Akhtar Ansari, who was lynched in Ranchi’s Tatisilwe in July 2024, says she has four children and no income. She wants the government to implement any law in which compensation provisions can be enforced.

S. Ali, AMYA president, who has filed a PIL in the Jharkhand High Court on mob lynching, holds the government responsible. He says that incidents are often recorded as “murder” rather than mob lynching, which often blocks compensation and weakens accountability. He believes enforcement of a specific anti-lynching law would significantly reduce such crimes.

Assurances vs Accountability

Minister Irfan Ansari told Outlook that the government had sent the law for approval, but it was returned with queries by the Governor. He claimed the government would place it again in the budget session and ensure it is implemented soon, admitting that the law could have helped curb lynching.

On the other hand, BJP spokesperson Ajay Shah alleged the Hemant Soren government drafts bills with “wilful errors,” which later become grounds for objections. He said the BJP supports an anti-lynching law, but insisted it must be implemented equally for all communities. He also called the continuing lynching incidents a clear failure of the government’s law-and-order machinery, eroding public trust.