This Powerful Poem Narrates the Anatomy of Mob Lynchings in India

A captivating slam poetry performance by Naveen Chourey describes the emotions of those involved in a mob lynching.

A captivating slam poetry performance by 27-year-old Naveen Chourey describes the emotions of all those involved in a mob lynching.

(Photo: Screenshot/Facebook)

A captivating slam poetry performance by 27-year-old Naveen Chourey describes the emotions of all those involved in a mob lynching – the victims and the assaulters, the witnesses and the cops. It details the hatred and the apathy, and the institutional failures that have allowed mob lynchings to become commonplace in India.

A video of Chourey’s performance has now taken social media by storm.

Speaking to The Quint about his poem, Chourey says, “I want this poem to become irrelevant. We should be in a situation where people can say this is a thing of the past, but unfortunately, it is still a gruesome reality today. It pains me that my poem is still relevant.”

Chourey says he began writing this from the second half of 2016 and performed it two years later. “I wrote this because I saw that society is going in the direction of mob terror. There is an atmosphere of fear, and in it, hatred is thriving.”

He adds, “It is called ‘Vaastavik Kanoon’ (The Law in Reality) because neither the police nor the eyewitnesses to the lynchings are coming forward to uphold the law.”

“Everyone needs to come together to achieve the goal of countering this hatred. If there can be mob terror, then there can be ‘mob saviours’ as well, people who come together to fight a mob lynching, and prevent future ones from happening.”

Naveen Chourey

Read the full poem here:

Vaastavik Kaanoon

Ik sadak pe khoon hai
Taareekh koi June hai
Ek ungli hai padee
Aur uspe jo naakhoon hai
Naakhoon pe hai ik nishaan
Ab kaun hoga hukmaraan
Jab chun rahi thi ungliyaan
Ye ungli bhi tab thi vahaan
Phir kyon padi hai khoon mein?
Jism iska hai kahaan?
Mar gaya ke tha hi na?

Kaun the voh log jinke haath mein thi laathiyaan?
Koi afsar tha police ka?
Nyaaya adheesh aaye the kya?
Kaun karta tha vaqaalat?
Faisala kisne diya?

Ya koi dharmatma tha?
Dharm ke rakshak the kya?
Dharm ka updesh kya tha ?
Kaun the vo devata ?

Na police na patrakar
Nagarik hoon zimmedaar
Seedhe-seedhe prashn hain
Seedha uttar do mujhe
Hai sadak khoon kyon?
Voh log aakhir kaun the?

Aadmi chhote hain saahib, hum ka padte beech mein
Hum bachaane bhi gaye the, teen pad gaye kheench ke
Motorcycle laaye the, rod pe kar di khadi
Aath-das launde-lapaade, laathiyaan ittee badi
Gaali de ke poochha, pet mein ghoonsa diya
Adhmara voh gir pada phir de danaadan laathiyaan
Paanv ki haddee mita di, maans ki lugadi bana di
Khoon toh itta baha ke humse na dekha gaya

Ek unmein hosh mein tha, jaane usako kya padi
Jeb se chaaku nikala, ungli uski kaat li
Aakhri tha vaar jiska, unka voh sardaar tha
Usne hi sabko bataya, jo mara gaddaar tha
"Haq nahin inko hamaare desh ke ik vote par
Deemakon ko na rakho gar jootiyon ki nonk par
Sar pe ye chadh jaayenge, ye kaee guna badh jaayenge
Hukmaraan hoga inhee ka, aag mootenge sabhi
Pair ke neeche kuchal do, jeet hogi dharm ki"

Hum to khud dar gaye the saahib, khauf unko tha nahi
Kis nasal ke log the voh kuchh samajh aaya nahin
Na koi insaan unmein, na koi tha aadmi
Saath mil ke sher ban gaye geedadon ki bheed thi
Nonch khaane ki talab thi, jaanvar taaseer thi
Haath mein thi laathiyaan to bhains bhi unki hi thi

Aur yeh koi jumla nahi hai, vaastavik kaanoon hai
Humse kahe poochhte ho, kyon sadak pe khoon hai?
Poochho is ungli se tum, kya yahan ghatna ghati?
Jurm isne kya kiya tha, jism se ye kyon kati?
Main to samjha mar chuki hai
Ungli mein par jaan thi
Syaahee us naakhoon pe, jo desh ka sammaan thi

Bole, ab kya chaahiye, vote tha de to diya
Jee rahe the qaid mein, maut de di, shukriya
Naakhoon pe jamhooriyat hai, jam gaya hai khoon bhi
Aap hi toh ho adalat, aap ho kaanoon bhi
Aap se kaisi shikaayat, aap to hain neend mein
Aap jaise sau khade the, jaahilon ki bheed mein
Sau mein se gar ek bhi de de gavaahi aapko
Main khushi se maan loonga bheed ke insaaf ko
Kijiye is par bahas ab panel-on mein baithkar
Kya hua Mohan ka vaada? Hain kahaan Ambedkar?
Sab barabar hain agar to bas mujhe hi kyon chuna?
Tum batao kaun dega ghar ko mere rotiyaan?

Asliyat se bekhabar ho, shaharee ho, Dilli se ho
Ik hidaayat de raha hoon, soch ke bola karo
Tum savaalon se bhare ho, kya tumhein maaloom hai?
Bheed se kuchh poochhna bhi jaanleva jurm hai
Tafteesh karane aaye ho, khul ke kar lo shauq se
Fark padta hi kahaan hai? Ek-do ki maut se
Chaar din charcha uthegi, “democracy laayenge”
Paanchven din bhool ke sab kaam pe lag jaayenge

Kaam se hee kaam rakhna
Haan, magar yeh yaad rakhana
Koi poochhe kaun the
Bas tumhein itna hai kahana
Bheed thi kuchh log the

Phir bhi gar koi zid pakad le
Kya hua kisne kiya?
Soch ke ungli uthaana
Kat rahi hain ungaliyaan
Baat ko kuch yoon ghumaana
Nafraton ka rog the
Dharm na koi zaat unki
Bheed thi kuch log the.