Nagaland CM briefs Rajnath on Dimapur situation

Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang today met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and apprised him about the situation in his state in the wake of lynching of a rape accused by a mob in Dimapur last week.

During their 15-minute meeting, Zeliang briefed the Home Minister about the circumstances leading to the lynching of rape accused Sayed Sarif Khan and the steps taken by the state government to ensure peace in Nagaland, particularly in Dimapur, official sources said.

Later, talking to reporters, the Chief Minister said he cannot comment whether the incident was a rape or consensual sex.

"We cannot comment on anything because investigation is still on. Neither we are saying it was a rape case nor we are saying it was consensual sex," he said.

Zeliang said 45 people allegedly involved in lynching were booked by the police and action was being initiated against them.

Earlier, the Nagaland government has conveyed to the Centre that Khan, who was lynched by the mob in Dimapur last week, did not rape the girl who accused him of assaulting her but they had consensual sex twice.

Since his arrest on February 24, Khan was in the Dimpaur central jail. On March 5, a mob broke into the jail, dragged him out, stripped him naked, beat him up, pelted him with stones and dragged him towards the centre of Dimapur town, seven kilometres away.

He died of his injuries on the way after which the mob displayed his body from a clock tower.