Skip to content Skip to navigation

Mob dynamics

Man is an animal first and a social animal later. However, our ‘social’ status has failed to erase our animal instincts, which lies dormant in our basic dispositions. The urge to spread violence, the need to kill, and the thirst to quench our carnal desires are proof that there is still some animal in us. These urges raise their ugly heads in the form of homicides, rape and molestation incidents, and mob violence etc putting mankind to shame. The dangerous of all is our affinity towards the mob mentality that threatens to ensnare us at the slightest pretext and at the slightest of provocation.


The term “mob mentality” is used to refer to unique behavioral characteristics that emerge when people are in large groups. It is often used in a negative sense, because the term “mob” typically conjures up an image of an aggressive, chaotic group of people. Social psychologists who study group behavior also use terms such as “ herd behavior,” " herd mentality" or “crowd hysteria” to describe similar behaviors. The study of mob mentality is used to analyze situations that range from problems during evacuations to public gatherings that turn violent.


The Beltola violence was an eye opener, a curtain raiser to the mob mentality that lurks in our psyches. It has to or why else would normal harmless people suddenly turn into hedonistic beasts destroying whatever came in their way and disrobe the modesty of a hapless innocent girl. Like a pack of hyenas that fight among one another to get hold of the carcass of the prey the mob pounced upon the unsuspecting victim, in this case a simple village belle who had landed in Guwahati to participate in a rally.


Close on its heels was the GS Road episode where once again mob dynamics came into play and ended up outraging the modesty of another women. This time the roadside alcoholics turned moral police powered by alcohol of course allegedly wanted to teach the girl lessons of morality and decency. The role of the media especially the electronic one raised a thousand uncomfortable questions regarding its role in the incident. The unholy race to be the number one position has made it sacrifice all ethics in the altar of TRPs. All of us have seen the evil faces of the mob, which could be our friendly auto driver, barman, odd job man and sadly even a reporter.


The GS Road episode also brought to the forefront the ugly rapier of male chauvinism bursting our erstwhile bubble of an equal society where men and women were said to be equal counterparts. Assam in fact has been shamed not twice but thrice by the paws of mob mentality for we cannot forget the episode of Cong MLA Rumi Nath’s assault by a similar mob in a Hailakandi hotel. The MLA’s alleged second marriage did not sit well with a section of the public and they decided to punish the allegedly pregnant woman by hurling her with punches and kicks and injuring her in the process. Interestingly the mob mentality is least bothered with the rampant corruption in all fields of our society, or with the injustices with the poor or helpless people, as they are too busy doling out unwanted pseudo and sadist justice to women of the society considering them to be weak. Also note that the mob usually in our case constitutes of some male members of our society who consider it a macho thing to collectively attack and prey on single helpless women of society.


It seems after decades of evolution and breaking away from our animality we have failed to brush off our animal instincts. In fact the study of herd behavior considers groups of all animals, not just humans. People have been observing group behavior of flocks, herds, pods and other assortments of animals for centuries, but it was not until the early 20th century that observers started applying scientific theories about crowd behavior to humans. Several books published in the 1910s discussed mob mentality, along with various ways to minimize or control it.


One reason for herd behavior is that people and animals tend to do what others around them are doing. This usually is because those who join the group in the behavior figure that if several others are doing something, it must be worthwhile, or they would not be doing it.


So much so that a group of five or more people inclines dangerously to becoming a mob. Contrasting attitudes clash among one another giving rise to a volatile atmosphere threatening to break free and unleash havoc in society. Whatever the background of a people, all tend to become one when they constitute a mob.


The male members of society who is either idle or illiterate or afflicted by certain sadist mental illness usually form a mob. A harmless neighborhood going about its usual business may turn into a bloodthirsty mob if the conditions are conducive. The BTAD violence, which has been given a communal color, too is a result of mob dynamics at work. A mob believes in the policy of making a mole out of a molehill. If one person spits venom on a particular issue the ones surrounding him soon follow suit creating a verdant fire out of mere smoke. Next step for a mob is to take the law at one’s own hands and break it left right and center. Sanity flies out of the window as animal urges rule the roost.


Accident sites take on the shape of a mob when people gather and start blaming each party involved in the accidents. Petty thieves or pickpockets become easy prey of a mob if caught red handed. A spur of the moment urge to vent pent up frustrations and let out the steam of failure make mobsters leave caution to the winds and often commit heinous crimes of rape, homicide or mass destruction – a trait often seen in the animal kingdom when a beast is on heat or gone mad. However, ones the animal urges die down the ‘social animal’ returns to terra firma with a thud and once again dons its cloak of civility till the next attack of mob mentality hits it.


No matter how hard we try to camouflage the animal in us or try to run away from our animal instincts they threaten to surge up and destroy our veneer exposing our true colors.

Author info

Rituparna Goswami Pande's picture

Journalist, writer

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

37th Bn, SSB apprehends Bhutanese national

14 Oct 2018 - 11:43pm | Shajid Khan
UDALGURI: In a major drive against illegal Foreign liquor making entry into Indian markets.The troops of 37 Bn SSB stationed at Border Outpost( BOP), Tankibasti seized a consignment of 75...

Uncertain fate of two Assamese Journalists in Myanmar

7 Dec 2011 - 11:05pm | editor
To, Dr Manmohan Singh, Honourable Prime Minister of India New Delhi Subject: Uncertain fate of two Assamese Journalists in Myanmar Respected Sir, Namaskar. Hope this letter finds you in...

National Children’s Science Congress held at Dotma

15 Sep 2019 - 11:19am | AT Kokrajhar Bureau
KOKRAJHAR: The 27th Kokrajhar district level National Children’s Science Congress 2019 was held with day-long programme at Dotma Girls’ High School in Kokrajhar on Saturday. The Science Congress...

National Press Day at Nazira

23 Oct 2014 - 7:35am | AT News
Nazira is gearing up for the National Press Day slated for November 16. Nazira Press Club, Nazira Journalists’ Association and the Nazira Freelance Journalists’ Association will observe the day a...

Other Contents by Author

This women’s day I salute those unsung ‘heroes’ who have withstood the onslaught of fickle fate. No they are not faces in the crowd rather they are the crowd whose faces we don’t remember. They are those who are living in the periphery of life, battling everyday issues of home and hearth.I bow my head in reverence to the grit of Mausam’s mother who put aside her grief after losing her only son to Ewing’s Sarcoma in order to stand as a pillar of strength to her broken husband who unable to bear the tempest of misfortune had almost lost touch with reality. I like many others was a helpless bystander of the tale of woe that had fallen like a bolt from the blue on this poor family.  But...
If I had wings and were a birdWould travel the world and orbit the EarthOr had I been a butterfly Eclectic colors would be mineI would hover over trees, flutter over blooms, On a spiritual high, I would go into a swoonShould I be a fish and swim the seaPass through oceans or haunt a reefWith beautiful corals for companyThe heart would leap at Nature’s bountyHad I been a fir tree insteadMy leaves would flutter in snow headsThe flirty wind would kiss my soulThe icy breeze to lift me up, life would be on a rollWhat if I were the season – SpringOrchid blooms, newness to ring inNo, no let me be the sky, the endless blueFar from earth, to keep a watch on youBut then my mind looks to the...
I, KazirangaShedding tears of bloodMy children, the four leggedIn men no longer trust.God’s blessed beings are theyRoaming the wildsIn search of prey and hayOften trapped by wily menCaught unawaresBy a poaching handLeft to dieWith bleeding woundsWith their hornsCut by forest goonsNo where to runNo where to hideTheir haven encroached by thugsTheir skies taken over by two legged bugsFeigned protectionI don’t seekI, KazirangaWill continue to bleedIf there is no messiahLet my children not desireAny solace from cruel fateBut march towards extinction and Heaven’s gate.
The fact that we need to celebrate Women’s Day portends that all is not well in a women’s world. Or else why would we need to single out a day for millions of women who have equal rights and status in the world they inhabit. We don’t have a men’s day which is evidence enough that all is hunky dory with their race.The UN theme for International Women's Day 2013 is "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women," while International Women's Day 2013 has declared the year's theme as The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum. But then is it really gaining momentum?As we celebrate Women’s Day today a woman is probably being raped in our rape capital i.e. Delhi or any other...
Lately every morning we have been waking up to screaming headlines of animal killings in the newspapers. Rhinos being poached with their horns brutally severed and left to die,elephants electrocuted or hunted down, their bodies mutilated and left to bleed to death. Gory pictures of animal atrocities splashed in every newspaper, every channel. It really makes one ponder as to how low humans can stoop to gratify their covetous desire for money. Twisted minds are targetting the animal kingdom, mute creatures, innocent beings who do not care nor bother to know how our world has become a slave to money. The world Heritage site Kaziranga National park has seen 20 rhino killings this year and a...
All Hindus become epitomes of excitement to the run up to the festival of the auspicious Durga puja. Pandals coming up everywhere, idols being given finishing touches, revellers thronging the markets, discount offers, designer wear on sale and so on. Everyone is under the grip of puja fever and the associated excitement.But for once if we shift our focus away from ourselves and our frivolous acts and ponder over the plights of those innocent animals that would be sacrificed during the puja offerings, I am sure the smiles in our faces would be wiped off. At least the smiles would vanish from those faces who have a little compassion for the four legged. Imagine the little pigeons, a symbol...
From bedraggled beggars on the streets to the suit clad brokers on Wall Street – the ubiquitous cell phone is everywhere, in every pocket irrespective of the rich / poor status of its owners. It is no longer an item of luxury albeit it’s a must have today, a necessary evil. For technology comes with a price and the technology behind mobile phones is sure to make mankind pay a heavy price – the price of health and safety. The recent furore created in the media worldwide over the possible hazareds of mobile phone radiation has made us sit up and take note of the pros and cons of using the innocent looking mobile handset which had till date so surely and surreptitiously...
The mellifluous tinkle of the Sarod permeated the atmosphere under a canopy of twinkling stars and a soft breeze that emanated from the somber Nilachal hill. Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan and Ayaan performed at the open amphitheatre in the Kamakhya temple premises striking a divine chord in all our hearts. The setting couldn’t have been more striking. The silhouette of the sanctuary at the backdrop and the stupendous performances of maestros were the perfect mode of the two day Kameshwari Music and Dance festival 2010. Dance and music have been an inherent part of temples in India since times immemorial. In order to appease the gods these art forms have always been...
“The Assam State Zoo encompassing over 130 hectares of land boasts of an astonishing collection of some rare and extinct species of wild animals settled comfortably in their natural habitat.” This is how a website describes the zoo in our city. However, the ‘stay’ of the animals there is far from ‘comfortable’. The captive animals in small enclosures with hardly room for free movement is a far cry from comfortable. The Assam state Zoo boasts of white tigers, one horned rhinos, Swamp tapirs and leopards to name a few. The zoo is also prosperous in the avian branch and plays host to rare species of birds. Sadly, the animals are caged for better viewing of...
“When bamboo flowers, famine, death and destruction follows”, says a tribal legend in Mizoram. Who better than the hardy Mizos would know this, considering that theirs is probably the only land on earth where history is closely intertwined with the mysterious cycle of bamboo flowering? Back in 1959, bamboo flowering in the state set off a chain of events in the rugged hilly state that ultimately led to one of the most powerful insurgencies against the Indian union spanning over two decades.Once again the legend threatens to become a reality as thousands of rats are rampaging through rice and vegetable fields in Mizoram, adding fuel to the growing fears of famine in the region....