Culpable Homicide or Self Defense?

[Anne]

Indian police: Woman beheads alleged attacker with sickle, parades head through market
By Associated Press

LUCKNOW, India (AP) _ A woman chopped the head off a man who allegedly tried to attack her and then paraded the head through a market in northern India, police said Friday.

Police arrested the woman late Thursday after receiving calls from frightened witnesses who reported a blood-soaked woman holding a severed head was walking through the village, said police officer Ram Bharose.

The woman, 35, told police she had gone to a nearby forest to cut grass for fodder for her cattle when a man attacked her from behind.

"In a bid to save her dignity she beheaded him with a sickle," Bharose said, adding that the woman had bite marks on her neck and cheek.

The woman also told police that the man had been harassing and stalking her for three months and she had no regrets about killing him, he said, adding that she would probably be charged with culpable homicide.

The incident took place in Makkapurva village, some 125 miles southeast of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.

[Bulldog]

Self defense all the way.  She protected herself with the instrument she had at her disposal.  Once dead, what she did with the head doesn't count.  However, she did seem to take much pride in her action.  Sounds like a Gov. Palin type.

[SonicMan46]

Hello Anne - sounds like the woman was completely justified in this act of removing a 'head from its beholder' - 

Just not sure how the 'Indians' (i.e. from Asia) will resolve the issue in their culture - will be of interest - Dave 

[Lilas Pastia]

Nothing new. Birgit Nilsson explained her retirement (1980?) by declaring she was tired of running around a stage with a cut off head.

[scarpia]

Nothing new. Birgit Nilsson explained her retirement (1980?) by declaring she was tired of running around a stage with a cut off head.

I would have thought the "Dance of the seven sails" would be more of a problem.

[Wanderer]

...she had no regrets about killing him...

Not a good thing to admit. I trust her legal counselor will have her sing a different tune before long.

Once dead, what she did with the head doesn't count.

Actually, it does; many legal systems hold laws that punish acts that show disrespect for the deceased's body (be it post-mortem mutilation or carrying around a severed head).

[Anne]

I think it was self defense also.

I keep wondering, if he attacked from behind, what were their relative positions when she beheaded him with the sickle?

[M forever]

The question here is, is self-defense by women against men a legal concept that exists in societies which rank women far below men, often on the level of "property" such as farm animals? Often, in such societies rape is seen more as a form of "property damage" than an act of violence against the woman. I remember watching a very distrubing documentary a while ago about a young girl in Iran who was sentenced to death and swiftly executed for having "extra-marital relations" with a much older guy while the guy went unpunished or just received a fine or something like that.

[adamdavid80]

Not a good thing to admit. I trust her legal counselor will have her sing a different tune before long.

Actually, it does; many legal systems hold laws that punish acts that show disrespect for the deceased's body (be it post-mortem mutilation or carrying around a severed head).

It also might comment on her mental state.  If a street firght occurs, one thing that's examined, is if the "battle" has borken up, but then one of the parties returns and restarts the fight.  You've gone past the point iof self-defense, it can be argued. when you're parading around with the gruesome results of your attack.  Excessive display, perhaps indicating pre-meditation.

For a moment, visualize that this had been two people fo the same sex, or if it were the man who beheaded a woman who was stalking and harassing him.  (It happens...Glenn Close...)

[scarpia]

I think it was self defense also.

I keep wondering, if he attacked from behind, what were their relative positions when she beheaded him with the sickle?

Someone is found walking around carry a severed head in their hand claiming it was self-defense, and you would take the person's word for it?  Where I come from, a person walking around with a severed head in their hand has very little credibility.

[Anne]

Someone is found walking around carry a severed head in their hand claiming it was self-defense, and you would take the person's word for it?  Where I come from, a person walking around with a severed head in their hand has very little credibility.

Don't the bite marks on her cheek and neck count for anything?

[scarpia]

Don't the bite marks on her cheek and neck count for anything?

Maybe the guy was trying to defend himself against an lunatic trying to cut his head off with a sickle.  On the other hand, maybe you think that if someone gives you a hickey, you are justified in cutting his head off.

[M forever]

Sounds like he did attack her from behind, and then she defended herself with the sickle. She probably didn't need to cut his head off, but then she was also very likely in a state of panic. I don't think you can take somebody's head off easily with a sickle, unless it's a really big and sharp one - although I haven't tried it - so she must have been very agitated. Which is understandable. The parading his head around doesn't make her look that good, I agree, but if she was in a state of shock, that is excusable. The bitemarks seem to make it rather clear that she really was attacked though, so I guess he should have stayed away from her, then he would have kept his head. There is no excuse for trying to rape a woman.

[ezodisy]

the conversatio has started to remind me of this: http://sayberklas.tripod.com/anthology_short_stories_in_english/id21.html