Centre sets up panel to suggest steps to check lynchings

New Delhi: The Centre has set up a high-level committee headed by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba to formulate steps to check mob lynchings and directed it to submit the recommendations within four weeks.

The Secretaries of the Departments of Justice, Legal Affairs, Legislative and Social Justice and Empowerment are members of the committee.

"In order to formulate appropriate steps to address the (mob lynching) situation, the government has set up a high-level committee to deliberate and make recommendations within four weeks," a Home Ministry statement said.

The government also decided to constitute a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to consider the committee's recommendations.

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad and Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot are members of the GoM.

The GoM will submit their recommendations to the Prime Minister.

The Home Ministry had issued an advisory on July 4, urging the states and union territories to take steps to prevent mob violence and lynchings as well as take stringent action as per the law against the culprits.

The states have been advised to implement the Supreme Court directions issued on July 17, said the statement.

An advisory was issued on August 9, 2016 on the disturbances created by miscreants in the name of cow protection, the Home Ministry added.