To catch a thief, don't thrash a thief

Chor-er opor batpari - robbing a thief - is a Bengali idiom that has much traction in our dog-eat-dog times. But this phrase for 'going one up on someone who is a master of one-upmanship' took a literal turn last weekend when a thief in Kolkata was 'thrashed' by locals after being caught, well, stealing from a house. That's a standard trope in Bengal, whether among the citizenry or political classes. But the twist in the tale is that the burglar went on to register an FIR for being 'thrashed'. With an admirable sense of his rights, he wrote in his statement, 'I entered the house with the intention of robbing the family, when they caught me. The family members called for help and the neighbours who came to their rescue attacked me with punches and kicks. I admit I was caught while stealing. But I don't know the people who assaulted me and would urge the police to take strict action against them.' The police, dutifully, registered the case under wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt and abetment to the offences.

Dog bites man - not news. Man bites dog - news. Similarly, our charged burglar's counter-complaint is as legit as it comes. Perhaps the next time a thief is caught mid-thieving, he should be sat down, given a sermon, and tut-tutted before being handed over to the cops. But wouldn't that be too patronising? Too chor-shaming?