INDIA Shop owner showed no mercy to the thief, even though it was a woman. He dragged her outside and brutally kicked her while waiting for the police to arrive.
According to Indian law, no one has the right to use violence against a suspect unless it is an act of reasonable self-defense. Only the police are authorized to punish or physically detain a suspect (with certain exceptions under the so-called citizen’s arrest, where a person can be restrained without injury and handed over to the police). A brutal beating, even if the person committed theft, is considered a criminal offense of causing bodily harm under the Indian Penal Code (especially Sections 323 and 325).
In practice, however, India often experiences cases of so-called “mob justice” – situations where crowds or shopkeepers take the law into their own hands, sometimes right in front of bystanders. The police occasionally turn a blind eye, especially in minor theft cases, but legally it remains illegal, and the attacker can still be charged with assault.
