This is the second advisory against violence and mob lynching this month. (File)
State governments should grant "equal protection of law to all citizens irrespective of caste, creed or religion", the home ministry has told all states in a fresh advisory that told states to take "effective measures" against mob killings.
The advisory comes amid outrage over the murder of a man in Rajasthan over suspicions of cow smuggling. Initial investigations have indicated that the police had not done their job and took over three hours to take the victim to hospital just 20 minutes away.
There have also been allegations that the policemen expected to protect Rakbar Khan may have also assaulted him. On Tuesday, Ghulab Chand Kataria, the Rajasthan Home Minister said the man was died in police custody and it may have been possible to save his life if the policemen had straightaway taken him to a hospital.
The Home Ministry advisory on mob lynching, the second this month, was issued on Tuesday.
The first one was issued on 4 July after several cases of mobs killing fuelled by rumours of child lifting and kidnapping for organ trade.
The fresh home ministry note also told states that it was their responsibility to control crime and protect lives of people and pointed to the Supreme Court's directions to take preventive, remedial and punitive measures to curb incidents of mob killing.
One of the measures recommended by the top court was to enact a tough law that could have a deterrent effect.
The home ministry had initially decided against any change in the law but mounting pressure after the fresh reported case of cow vigilantism reported from Rajasthan appeared to have prompted the government to explore this possibility.
Yesterday, the centre announced that a group of ministers headed by Rajnath Singh would take a call on enacting a law on mob killing after receiving the recommendations of officials.
"I want to make it clear that the government is not just concerned but has taken lynching incidents very seriously," Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha after opposition members raised the issue days after a cattle farmer was killed allegedly by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan's Alwar.
Mr Singh has, however, attempted to blunt criticism from the opposition Congress over claims that mob killings have gone up after the NDA government came to power in 2014, arguing that the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 after then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination was the biggest incident of mob lynching.