A recent story in the Indian Express online edition caught my attention, the story about the lynching and subsequent death of one Stephen Bennett, in a remote village in the Roha district of Maharasthra. That, and the gruesome discovery of human remains in a drain in NOIDA, uncovering the sickening story of an alleged master and servant kidnap-rape-murder double team. While the latter story seems to be a clear case of apathy and corruption, it's the first that is more interesting.
The facts about the act of murder commited are clear, as the accused are already in custody, and have confessed. The real mystery lies in the circumstances that brought the unfortunate Mr. Bennett to Malsai village at 5 AM in the morning.
The facts, as presented by the media, are thus- Bennett was enroute to Mumbai from Goa on the train, when there was an unscheduled stop at Roha and Bennett disembarked from the train. For some unfathomable reason, he decided to walk some 5 kilometers into Malsai and into the arms of a lynch mob.
But wait, there's more- Bennett disembarked on the 7th, and he was found hanging from a tree on the 11th. What exactly he was doing there for three days is a mystery.
It could be expounded that the poor fellow just got off at the wrong station, but then why did he have to stick around for three days in the middle of nowhere? There is no word about his possessions, save his wallet, which was found on his person. Did he just get off the train to catch a breath of fresh air, only to have the train pull off, with his baggage still inside??
Obviously not. If this would have been the case, he could have informed the station staff about the situation, but that does not seem to be the case. It seems he just got off with all he had and decided to stay put. Why?
could it be, that he was so captivated by the scenes of the countryside, that he felt a tug on his heartstrings, or he had the desire to see an authentic Indian village or something, and get away from it all, expand his mind, go primitive and experience a down to earth life?
Having had his fill, he thought that it wasn't inappropriate to ask a lone woman at five in the morning how to get to the train station, only to be mistaken for an attacker?
Could it be that this guy was so addled with the various substances one can obtain under the table in places like Goa, and simply did not know what he was doing?
In any case, it was the wrong place at the wrong time. The poor villagers, some of them who may have never seen a white man, responded with the most basic emotion in our toolbox-fear. Fear always begets anger, and In the face of danger, mankind loses the ability to think as an individual and begins to act along a common mental streak- the ignition point of a mob. After the flame has been lit, a lone defenceless man has absolutely no chance of survival. The mob demands blood and flesh, since the ability to judge the crime and impart an equal punishment has evaporated long since.
The facts about the act of murder commited are clear, as the accused are already in custody, and have confessed. The real mystery lies in the circumstances that brought the unfortunate Mr. Bennett to Malsai village at 5 AM in the morning.
The facts, as presented by the media, are thus- Bennett was enroute to Mumbai from Goa on the train, when there was an unscheduled stop at Roha and Bennett disembarked from the train. For some unfathomable reason, he decided to walk some 5 kilometers into Malsai and into the arms of a lynch mob.
But wait, there's more- Bennett disembarked on the 7th, and he was found hanging from a tree on the 11th. What exactly he was doing there for three days is a mystery.
It could be expounded that the poor fellow just got off at the wrong station, but then why did he have to stick around for three days in the middle of nowhere? There is no word about his possessions, save his wallet, which was found on his person. Did he just get off the train to catch a breath of fresh air, only to have the train pull off, with his baggage still inside??
Obviously not. If this would have been the case, he could have informed the station staff about the situation, but that does not seem to be the case. It seems he just got off with all he had and decided to stay put. Why?
could it be, that he was so captivated by the scenes of the countryside, that he felt a tug on his heartstrings, or he had the desire to see an authentic Indian village or something, and get away from it all, expand his mind, go primitive and experience a down to earth life?
Having had his fill, he thought that it wasn't inappropriate to ask a lone woman at five in the morning how to get to the train station, only to be mistaken for an attacker?
Could it be that this guy was so addled with the various substances one can obtain under the table in places like Goa, and simply did not know what he was doing?
In any case, it was the wrong place at the wrong time. The poor villagers, some of them who may have never seen a white man, responded with the most basic emotion in our toolbox-fear. Fear always begets anger, and In the face of danger, mankind loses the ability to think as an individual and begins to act along a common mental streak- the ignition point of a mob. After the flame has been lit, a lone defenceless man has absolutely no chance of survival. The mob demands blood and flesh, since the ability to judge the crime and impart an equal punishment has evaporated long since.
It is unfortunate and unfair that Stephen Bennett had to pay the price.
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