Lynch mob justice Indian-style

Taking justice into their own hands, the gang today overpowered security at the Central Jail in the city of Dimapur and grabbed the man, who allegedly raped a female student multiple times last month.

According to local media reports, he died while being dragged four miles through the streets as people beat and pelted him with stones.

The horrific attack on the man, who had not been convicted of rape, comes amid rising anger over the high rate of sexual violence in the country.  

He has been identified as a 35-year-old used car trader, according to The Indian Express. 

The man allegedly raped a student from a local women's college on February 24, and he was arrested a day later.

'A mass protest rally against the rape was held at Dimapur this morning after which students and angry people forced into the district jail and managed to pull out the accused,' the Press Trust of India news agency said.

It has been reported the crowd tore down two gates before dragging him to the town's clock tower.

It's said they also set fire to homes and shops in an area where the suspect ran his business. 

Several people were injured when police used batons and opened fire, while officers were hurt when the mob pelted them with stones in Nagaland state in northeast India. The police later removed the man's body. 

'The situation is very tense,' town police superintendent Meren Jamir told the Hindustan Times. 'We are trying our very best to restore order.' 

The Indian government has also asked YouTube to block access to the documentary, claiming that its broadcast violated certain key agreements with the filmmaker.

But the Delhi gang-rape victim's father has called on all countrymen to watch the documentary, which showed his daughter's killer blaming the student for 'being out at night'.

India's Daughter was described as the 'bitter truth' by the young woman's father after it quoted the views of her rapist Mukesh Singh, who is on death row over the 2012 attack. 

The film by award-winning Briton Leslee Udwin, who produced 1999 indie hit East is East, was due to air on the BBC and Indian news channel NDTV to mark International Women's Day this Sunday.

But it was dropped by NDTV following the ban and the BBC brought forward its screening to last night, citing a strong public interest.

Today India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh vowed there would be consequences for the Corporation, telling NDTV: 'We had asked to not release the documentary but BBC still released it.

'We will investigate and the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) will take action accordingly. The conditions have been breached so action will be taken accordingly. I won't comment any further.'

The hour-long documentary aired as part of the long-running Storyville series on BBC Four, and is believed to have been accessed by many in India online.

Today the victim's family showed their support for the film, saying the rapist's comments had to be be exposed because they expressed how many people still think.

(dailymail.co.uk)