Mob Psychology

The gruesome murder of a doctor in Teok tea estate in Jorhat district last Saturday continues to send shockwaves across Assam. What is most tragic is that Dr Deven Dutta, the septuagenarian doctor, who had served for more than three decades in the same tea estate, had been serving there even after his formal retirement. This he was doing not for the craze for money, but for the liking he had developed for the labourers of the tea estate among whom he had spent more than 70 per cent of his life. Yet, the same people whom he had taken care of for so long suddenly turned stranger and killed him in the most brutal manner. In the instant case, the management of the tea estate too must be held responsible for the murder of a doctor whom it had hired for a paltry sum after his retirement. The management must be also held responsible for not having an intelligence mechanism working amongst the tea labourers, a must in modern-day HR management. While some people, especially in social media, have been trying to generalize those people who were responsible for the crime, what sensible people ought to be looking at is the various reasons that led to sudden mob behaviour among the people. Some people have been trying to compare and liken the incident to that of the other sensational murder that had taken place in Karbi Anglong district last year. But then, the two incidents are definitely different, though there is ample scope to look closely at the similarity of mob psychology. Yes, the scenario in Assam’s tea gardens is slightly different. Literacy is low, and so also the level of social education, awareness and understanding. It was only a couple of months ago that another senior doctor who was serving in the same tea estate for three decades, was severely assaulted by the labourers. A few years ago, the owner of a tea estate and his wife were burnt alive near Bordumsa in Tinsukia district. In November 2007, a mob disrobed a young woman in a main road in the heart of Guwahati, hardly one km from the Chief Minister’s office and made her run around in public. Ransacking of hospitals has become commonplace across the state, irrespective of the educational level of people comprising the mob. A section of the media, especially the electronic media, is also often accused of inciting such behaviour in the interest of getting a sensational visual. It is also a fact that the people are becoming increasingly intolerant. One out of every ten persons appears to be in a mood to pick up a quarrel over any petty matter.

Also Read: Teok Murder Incident: Irked Doctors in Assam withdraw medical services for 24 hours