Mob lynching has become an epidemic in the country, says Swara Bhaskar

Mob lynching has become an "epidemic", said Swara Bhasker on Wednesday, July 24. "Mob lynching has become an epidemic in the country today and I don't think that we can turn our face away from this harsh reality. There's no point in falsifying it,”she said as reported by news agency ANI.

She also applauded 49 prominent public figures who have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for stronger action over these incidents.

"I believe that it is very commendable that artists, filmmakers, writers in our country are engaged and affected with whatever is happening in the society," said Bhasker.

A strong law is the "need of the hour" to contain the "tragic events", she said.

"I have been trying to talk on the issue of mob lynching for the past 3-4 years and even asked for a Manav Suraksha Kanoon. But it's sad that things have got worse," Swara Bhasker said.

"It is very important that district authorities, where such incidents happen, take full accountability in the matter. I believe that the PM who has the power to do it will look into the matter," she said.

Lynching incidents were brought into attention on Wednesday, with an open letter signed by 49 intellectuals, writers and film personalities condemning such incidents and the alleged weaponization of the slogan "Jai Shri Ram" into a "war cry".

"Dear Prime Minister... The lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities must be stopped immediately. We were shocked to learn from the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) reports that there have been no less than 840 instances of atrocities against Dalits in the year 2016, and a definite decline in the percentage of convictions," said the letter also signed by filmmakers Mani Ratnam, Shyam Benegal and Anurag Kashyap, Ramchandra Guha among others.