Angry Mob Breaks Into Nagaland Jail , Lynches Rape Accused, MHA seeks Report

06 March 6 ,Dimapur

A mob in Nagaland barged into the Dimapur Central Jail Thursday afternoon, dragged out the rape accused and lynched him in the street.

Taking the incident seriously, the Union Home Ministry sought a detailed report from Nagaland Government .. The State Government decided to institute a high level inquiry Committee to inquire into the incident, that led to the adverse happenings.

Police said the mob overpowered jail security, tied up the man, stripped and dragged him for seven kilometres, thrashing him along the way. The accused died after being thrashed by the mob.

Later in the evening, curfew was imposed in Dimapur town following incidents of arson. The police sources said that few arrests had been made in connection to the incident.

The 35-year-old victim identified as Syed Farid Khan, is said to be a Bangladeshi national. He was languishing in the jail after he allegedly raped a student of a local women’s college last month.

He was a small-time trader who dealt in scrap and used motor cars. The incident triggered a backlash against Bangladeshi immigrants, with houses and shops run by them. Incidentally, the state has been in the grip of an agitation over the issue of illegal immigrants for the past couple of weeks.

Despite Section 144 being imposed in Dimapur since Wednesday evening, the Naga Students’ Federation and other local social groups called a rally Thursday to protest against the alleged rape.

In the afternoon, a mob rushed to the jail, broke open the gates by overpowering the security personnel on duty. Khan was stripped, tied up and dragged to City Clock Tower area in Dimapur, being kicked and pelted with stones along the way.

Later, when police turned up to remove Khan’s body, the mob started pelting stones, injuring several personnel. The police then resorted to lathi charge and opened fire. The mob also set an Indian Reserve Battalion bus on fire.

The mob then headed to Purana Bazar area, where the rape-accused had his shop, and reportedly set several shops and houses on fire.

Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang, who is in New Delhi, called up for an emergency cabinet meeting, following which a government statement was issued asking people to show restraint.

It condemned in the violent incident, whereby the mob took the law into their own hands, leading to the death of the accused.