Nagaland Officials Looking Into Lynching Of Accused Rapist By Mob Of 10,000 People

Nagaland officials have ordered a judicial probe into the lynching of accused rapist Syed Farid Khan by a huge mob on Thursday in Dimapur. The mob, which consisted of 10,000 people, broke into the jail where Khan was being held, and dragged him into the streets. The mob removed his clothes before beating him and hanging his body from a clock tower.

A meeting held by chief minister T R Zeliang appointed Veprasa Nyekha, a retired district and sessions judge, to head the one-man judicial inquiry.

The investigation will not only look into the circumstances leading to the incident, but examine ways to prevent this sort of occurrence from happening again.

The event took place on Thursday, when more than 20,000 protesters in Dimapur asked the government to hand over Khan, who allegedly raped a local woman. A portion of the crowd began marching to Dimapur Jail, and at 4 p.m., asked the jail authorities to hand him over. Officials refused, and the crowd stormed into the prison, dragged Khan into the streets, stripped him and forced him to walk naked on the street. Khan was assaulted by protesters on his way to the City Clock Tower, and died from his injuries before he was hung. His body was tied to an iron railing.

The protesters then vandalized local shops owned by non-Nagas and requested that the Dimapur Municipal Council cancel trade licenses with non-local traders.

Local police were forced to open fire to disperse the protesters. The mob fought back, throwing stones and torching police vehicles. Four protesters were injured from bullets, and sent to the hospital for medical care.

Nagaland home commissioner Sentiyanger said the murder of the alleged rapist blatantly showed the incompetence of the police and local administration.