Sri Lanka, Sept. 17 -- What if we catch a thief red-handed? We feel very angry and will not think twice about harming him or her. But can we harm the thief according to our own judgment? We cannot - that can only be decided by the Courts.

According to recent media reports, a Tamil-speaking youth travelling from Colombo to Welimada who had fallen asleep in the bus had missed the destination and got off in an unknown area, only to be severely assaulted by the villagers who mistook him for a robber. When the people who assaulted him shared a video of the incident on social media which went viral, he had taken his own life, unable to bear the embarrassment.

The 34-year-old male victim was a resident of Rothschild Estate in Pussellawa. Inves...