Swara Bhaskar: As a society, we have become bloodthirsty

A group of student leaders from JNU and social activists launched a national campaign against mob lynching in Delhi on Monday. Citing the recent cases of mob lynching, the committee (formed by the student leaders and activists) demanded a law against mob lynching and to make it a non-bailable offence with a life sentence. The members plan to prepare a draft law and present it to the central and state governments for consideration.The campaign also had actress and JNU alumna Swara Bhaskar lending her support.
Swara Bhaskar
"This (lynching by a mob) is a topic that disturbs me a lot. It can happen to anyone in today's time- the problem is, it has become so common now. You can be at risk for anything you do. See what happened with Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of 'Padmavati' because a group of people did not agree with him on a certain topic from our history."

"It can be a middle-class stereotype, which has been the scariest in the recent case of lynching of African students. Or it can be a political disagreement as was in the case of Kanhaiya Kumar, when the lawyers beat him up. This is just wrong - it undermines the whole idea of democracy. This means that we have no faith in the judiciary and here's a society trying to take the law in its own hands. This shows that as a society, we have become bloodthirsty. I was really disturbed by the issues and when I got to know that a bunch of diverse people were coming together for the launch of this campaign, I decided to be there," she told us while elaborating on her association with the campaign.
While Swara has mostly been vocal about her opinions, does she think that voicing one’s opinion in the current scenario backfires more quickly? And is this one of the reasons why many prefer not to comment on issues. "It is a safer option, where it is safe to be silent. The confidence to protest without fear is the marker of a progressive democracy. Few years ago, I went to Turkey, Lebanon and other parts in the Middle East and when I came back, I told my parents that the precious thing about India is that, 'Yahan bhikhari bhi government ko criticize kar deta hai.' But I think, we have lost it now," she said.

The India-Pakistan match in the Champions Trophy was in the news much before the game started, with some saying that watching the match was anti-national. "Isn't that stupidity? George Carlin had rightly said, 'Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups'. Anti-stupid is not anti-national. We did not lynch Kasab, who was a terrorist - he was also subjected to a court trial. Then why can't we treat our citizens in a better way than lynching them?" she asked.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali was roughed up and his film 'Padmavati' sets were vandalised in Jaipur
Delhi Times had spoken to African students in the capital after a group of Africans were attacked by a mob in a Noida mall.