THREE dacoits, who were trying to flee after killing a jeweller after committing a robbery, were beaten to death by a mob at Gardezi Market, Gulgasht, on Monday. Reportedly, four dacoits entered the jewellery shop of Aliyan near Gardezi Market and shot at and injured him when he offered resistance. When the dacoits were trying to flee, shopkeepers of the market gathered outside the shop and caught three dacoits and started beating them. As a result, all three dacoits were seriously injured while their fourth accomplice fled the scene.
This is not the first incident of the kind as criminals caught red-handed were meted out similar treatment in different parts of the country in the past as well. This is not conceivable in a civilized society as administration of justice is the responsibility of the courts and mob justice would amount to encouraging the law of the jungle. However, this is understandable in our context as people do not get justice for decades even in open and shut cases mainly due to rampant corruption in police and the judiciary. Hundreds of thousands of cases are pending in different courts and the quality of both trial proceedings and verdicts are extremely poor. As criminals go scot-free, the crime rate is increasing and people have lost trust in the ability of the police to secure their lives and properties and in the courts to deliver prompt and due justice. It is because of this that affected people try to give vent to their feelings there and then when a crime is committed. The incident should serve as an eye-opener for the authorities concerned who must take tangible measures to improve performance of both the police and the judiciary.
