While mainstream media maintains a deafening silence on the alarming rise of mob lynchings across the country, former TV journalist and author Dayashankar Mishra has shattered this quiet with his audacious book, 'Akhlaq'.

Rooted in extensive ground reporting across states like Maharashtra, Odisha, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana, this work is far more than a mere compilation of statistics. It stands as a living, breathing chronicle of the torment, agony, and tears of communities sacrificed at the altar of manufactured hatred.

In an exclusive conversation with "The Mooknayak," Mishra opened up about the grueling journey of bringing this book to life. He emphasized that mob lynching is not an explosion of spontaneous public fury, but the ultimate violation of the Indian Constitution.

According to Mishra, this violence is a calculated conspiracy and an organized crime. It is a dangerous maneuver to strip citizens of their constitutional rights and impose authoritarianism—an agenda where the system acts not merely as a mute spectator, but as an active facilitator.

The journey of delivering this critical narrative to readers was fraught with obstacles. When Mishra pitched his meticulously researched ground report to the country's leading publishing houses, he was met with nothing but evasion and dismay.

Confronted by the palpable apathy and fear of the publishing elite, he ultimately took the bold risk of self-publishing the book. Reflecting on his past experiences, Mishra observes how daunting it has become to document and print the unvarnished truth in the current political climate.

He notes that when massive institutions abandon their integrity out of fear of reprisal, the moral obligation of independent journalists and writers multiplies exponentially.

The rationale behind titling the book 'Akhlaq' is both powerful and profoundly unsettling. Mishra explains that the brutal 2015 lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri marked the genesis of a horrifying era of mob violence in the country—an era that society gradually grew accustomed to and accepted as the new normal.

The Akhlaq case remains unprecedented for a chilling reason: the Uttar Pradesh government itself petitioned the court to withdraw the charges against the murder accused. In an environment where the state machinery steps in to shield perpetrators, the name 'Akhlaq' transcends the individual and becomes the ultimate symbol of the nation's deeply entrenched lynching culture.

A pervasive misconception exists that mob lynching exclusively targets religious minorities, but this book boldly dismantles that narrative. It features exhaustive reporting on the violent assaults inflicted not only upon Muslims and Christians but also upon Dalits and Adivasis.

From the infamous Una flogging in Gujarat to the brutal murders of Mahesh and Nilesh Rathod in Amreli, the book fearlessly exposes the systemic oppression of marginalized castes.

The inferno of violence, once ignited, never spares the bystanders. Invoking the immortal words of the legendary poet Rahat Indori—"Lagegi aag toh aayenge ghar kai zad mein" (When the fire spreads, many houses will burn)—Mishra points out how perfectly this prophecy aligns with the current reality.

The book prominently highlights the lynchings of upper-caste police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in Bulandshahr and young Aryan Mishra in Haryana. These tragedies serve as irrefutable evidence that when the venom of hatred is normalized, even the majority and the so-called upper castes cannot escape its lethal reach.

The criminal silence of the mainstream media and the catastrophic collapse of democratic institutions form the core themes of the narrative. In its epilogue, the book offers a profound analysis of the Supreme Court's role in the crisis.

By revisiting the historic guidelines issued by the apex court in 2018 to curb lynchings, the book starkly illustrates how grassroots institutions have utterly failed to execute their legal and moral duties.

Channeling the spirit of Munshi Premchand’s immortal question, "Will you not speak the truth for fear of the consequences?", Mishra stands resolute.

Despite relentless restrictions and systemic hurdles, 'Akhlaq' is now available to readers. It is far more than a literary work; it is a stark, urgent warning to every citizen who watches this organized hatred unfold in complicit silence.

Book available at-

Amazon

Flipkart