A stark spectacle by any other name

It may be a stretch to compare this week's lynchings to the situation in Punjab in the 1980s, but they are a reminder of what can happen when politicians turn a blind eye to religious violence

“Before 2014, the word ‘lynching’ was practically unheard of,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted on Tuesday, hashtagging his tweet #ThankYouModiji. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made a spokesperson respond by attacking Rahul’s father and including a list of communal riots that broke out when the Congress was in power.

But is a communal riot the same as a lynching? The BJP was happy to say that it did not understand the distinction. It was not even sure how to define lynchings or hate crimes.

The poor conveniently confused dears! The Minister of State (Home) Nityanand Rai told Parliament, even as the tweet battle was