ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to understand the specific character of rising hate crimes in India expressed in the form of lynch attacks, which have mainly targeted Muslims and Dalits. It describes the nature of lynch attacks in India in recent years based on journeys of a people’s campaign for atonement, solidarity, healing and justice called the Karwan e Mohabbat, which meets families hit by lynching across India. It also analyses the findings of a Hate Crime Tracker established by the news portal India Spend. The chapter seeks to identify the nature of these crimes – what are the spurs, who are the victims and perpetrators, and how the state responds – while contextualising contemporary events in India within a global history of lynching.
