I grew up in Delhi (as may or may not be obvious from this thread), and once witnessed the aftermath of a home having been burgled.
The policeman on the scene summoned the watchman of the gated community and physically assaulted him (drawing blood), accusing him of having been negligent.
You can bet there was not a single consequence of this. The watchman was one of the underclass, and this is just what's expected.
I can't claim to know why things are like this, but there's rarely any justice for anyone in India, unless you're one of the elite or ultrarich. The judicial system is in shambles and the poor are just not afforded much humanity.
What do you think these people could do? Here is an example of what happens when the people try to change things in a "democracy" [0].
As a bonus, here are some choice videos of Indian politics (the second one is relevant to the story in footnote):
I'm just wondering, if things are so bad, why are there no riots? Doesn't seem like there's much to lose tbh.
In my home country, they stormed the parliament and burned parts of it because the wrong party gained power (by fraudulent votes). If they were killing low class people, there would be riots, bombings and murders all around.
I live in Bangladesh, now, and I don't think we're much improvement over India (except the caste problem). I once witnessed the aftermath of a policeman beaten by public because he assaulted a shopkeeper. So while people doesn't have much legal recourse, they aren't exactly powerless either.
Similarly rich & powerful evade justice, but I wouldn't go as far as saying "there's rarely any justice for anyone". The state may fail to provide justice, but people find their ways, and that sort of keeps the worst impulses of the powerful in check.
