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14 held in connection with horrific lynching of rape suspect in India

Xinhua, March 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

Indian police have arrested 14 people in connection with the horrific lynching of a 35-year-old rape suspect by an angry mob in the northeastern state of Nagaland Thursday, a senior police officer said Sunday.

"Some 14 people have been held so far. A massive manhunt is on to nab others involved in the horrific incident. Meanwhile, three senior government officials have also been suspended. We are also probing the role of cops in the incident," he said on condition of anonymity.

The rape suspect, identified as Syed Farid Khan who hailed from the neighboring state of Assam, was on Thursday dragged out of the Dimapur Central Jail in Nagaland by a 5,000-strong mob, paraded naked for nearly 18 km and then lynched. The incident was caught on camera and uploaded on the web.

Khan, a small-time businessman, was accused of raping a Naga girl on Feb. 23. He was lodged in that jail pending trial. Khan's family, however, has contested the charges and has alleged that medical report of the victim does not confirm sexual assault.

Experts say that the incident was apparently the venting out of anger by Nagas against outsiders, including those from neighboring states like Assam, who come for work and thus reduce job opportunities for the people of the state. Endi