NEW DELHI: The government on Monday set up a high-level panel headed by Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba to formulate appropriate measures to deal with mob lynching incidents.

Other members on this panel are secretary, justice; secretary, legal affairs; secretary, legislative department and secretary, social justice and empowerment.

The government also formed a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by home minister Rajnath Singh , which will look into the recommendations of the panel.

The GoM will also include external affairs minister, law minister, road transport minister, water resources minister and the social justice minister.

The GoM will submit its report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi .

Condemning the incidents, the ministry said it is "committed" to "upholding rule of law". "Government is concerned at incidents of violence by mobs in some parts of the country. Government has already condemned such incidents and made its stand clear in Parliament that it is committed to upholding rule of law and adopting effective measures to curb such incidents," the ministry of home affairs said in a statement.

The ministry further added that as per Constitutional scheme, 'Police' and 'Public Order' are state subjects and hence it is the responsibility of the state to control crime, maintaining law and order, and protecting life and property of citizens. They are empowered to enact and enforce laws to curb crime, it said.

The ministry also cited a couple of advisories issued to states addressing incidents of lynching on suspicions of child trafficking and cow vigilantism.

"An advisory on addressing lynching on suspicion of child lifting was issued on 04.07.2018. An advisory was issued on 09.08.2016 on cow vigilantism," the statement said.

The government's decision to set up the panel came within days of a mob lynching incident in Rajasthan's Alwar . In the intervening night of July 20-21, a man was lynched by a mob on suspicions of cow smuggling. Taking a note of the incident, Ministry Of Home Affairs (MHA) had sought a report from Rajasthan Government on the incident.

"Indian Government has sent strong advisories to all the state governments and lynching issue has been taken up very seriously, no leniency in terms of action will be there," said Kiren Rijiju, MoS Home.

Last week, the Supreme Court, holding the Centre and the state governments accountable for mob violence and lynching, had asked them to take steps to curb and stop dissemination of irresponsible and explosive messages and videos on social media platforms which incite such incidents.

Passing a slew of directions to provide "preventive, remedial and punitive measures", the top court asked the state governments to designate a senior police officer, not below the rank of Superintendent of Police, as nodal officer in each district.

It said such nodal officers should be assisted by a DSP rank officer in the district for taking measures to prevent incidents of mob violence and lynching.

They shall constitute a Special Task Force so as to procure intelligence reports about the people who are likely to commit such crimes or who are involved in spreading hate speeches, provocative statements and fake news.

The court also said the nodal officer should hold regular meetings, at least once a month, with the local intelligence units in the district along with all station house officers to identify the existence of the tendencies of vigilantism and mob violence.

