Two women were fined after slapping each other on a train in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Chengdu Railway Police said on Wednesday. The case has sparked widespread attention and discussion on Chinese social media platforms over the demarcation of self-defense and fighting. Photo: VCG

Two women were fined after slapping each other on a train in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Chengdu Railway Police said on Wednesday. The case has sparked widespread attention and discussion on Chinese social media platforms over the demarcation of self-defense and fighting.

The incident occurred late Thursday on the train from Meishan to Chengdu in Sichuan Province. One of the two women, surnamed Wang, was traveling alone to Chengdu on the train, while the other surnamed Yang was traveling with several people including three children to Jiangyou, according to media reports.

Wang, who was sitting in the seat in front of Yang, stood up and turned around to stop the children from making noise, and then quarreled with Yang. Yang's fellow traveler insulted Wang, who then fought back, and the two women also slapped each other as the situation escalated.

Several minutes later, the security guard and conductor of the train tried to intervene and mediate, but failed to completely calm the conflict between the two.

Wang then reported the case to the police, and the case was accepted by local authorities and an in-depth investigation was carried out. The investigation concluded that both parties had violated the law by slapping each other in the face, and imposed fines of 200 yuan ($29) and 500 yuan on Wang and Yang respectively, according to the Public Security Management Penalty Law.

Wang stated on social media that she fully accepted the administrative punishment imposed by the police, but she resolutely refused to reconcile with the other party and has applied for administrative reconsideration.

The result sparked debate online about whether fighting back after being hit should be considered illegal violent conduct. "This incident has also made me think about how I can protect my rights and even my personal safety in a similar situation," a netizen wrote on the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo.

Another netizen said that it was inappropriate for the woman surnamed Wang to hit the other one after mediation by the conductor, which may also be one of the factors considered by the police in the final penalty. "Only when morality and law complement each other can human behavior be properly regulated and the rights and interests of all parties be protected," said the netizen.

Global Times