Trupti Desai thrashed a man who allegedly abandoned a girl after promising to marry her.
In a video widely shared, women rights activist Trupti Desai is seen holding a slipper and beating a man with it in a village near Pune in Maharashtra, while people gather around and watch.
Ms Desai, who first shared the video, said she along with another member of her Bhumata Brigade, thrashed the 25-year-old man for allegedly abandoning a young woman after promising to marry her.
The local police arrested the man, identified as Srikant Londhe, after the beating and have charged him with rape. They alleged he had also forced the 24-year-old woman to undergo an abortion.
Amid a debate over vigilantism, Ms Desai has said that the public beating was an attempt to teach the man a lesson.
"We thrashed him in full public view and forced the police to register the woman's complaint," Ms Desai said, also promising, "Whenever there will be violence or such cases against women, I will take the law in my hand."
Ms Desai, 31, has earlier made headlines with her fiery campaigns against the age-old practice of banning women from places of worship in the country. She said she had been asked by the young woman to intervene after Mr Londhe refused to marry her.
"When the girl came to me with the complaint, I even met the man's father and insisted that he marry her, but he refused and tried to settle the matter by offering money to the victim," the activist said.