GRAPHIC CONTENT: Violent mob drag alleged rapist into the street and beat him to death

The gang are said to have grabbed the man - who allegedly raped a female student last month - after overpowering security at the Central Jail in Dimapur, India.

The man, who has not been convicted of rape, is said to have died after being dragged for four miles along the streets as people beat and pelted him with stones, according to local reports.

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

Local news site DNA India reported that the man had been accused of raping a woman on February 23 and 24 and was arrested a day later.

"A mob of around 4,000 people stormed the central jail after breaking the two gates and took the accused out of jail and paraded him naked to the city tower in the heart of Dimapur town, before we could rescue him from the mob," senior police officer at the Dimapur district Meren Jamir told Indian news agency IANS.

He added: "The body was retrieved from the mob after police fired in the air to disperse them."

The mob reportedly broke open the jail gates after overpowering the security personnel on duty.

The man was then said to have been stripped, tied up and dragged to the nearby City Clock Tower area - being beaten and hit with stones along the way.

It is also said that the mob set fire to homes and shops in the area where the suspect ran his business.

Several people were hurt after police used batons and opened fire, while officers were injured when the mob pelted them with stones.

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

Shemeer Babu, Amnesty India’s Programmes Director, said: "The Nagaland government, which is probing this gruesome incident, must ensure that every person who was part of the mob is brought to justice.

"Failure to do so will send the message that anyone can commit outrageous abuses and attempt to justify them as an expression of public anger.

"Nagaland authorities must uphold the rule of law. Violence against women needs to be tackled with swift and effective responses from the state, not with barbarism by self-appointed vigilantes."

India is already in the midst of controversy after it was announced that a British documentary featuring an interview with a death row rapist will not be aired in the country.

Mukesh Singh, who mercilessly raped and tortured a 23-year-old woman as part of a gang in December 2012 spoke openly in the film about his views on the crime.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh last night ordered Delhi police to obtain a court order prohibiting the film's release.

Police said the ban was imposed as Singh's comments created an atmosphere of "fear and tension" and ran the risk of fuelling public anger.

"A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy," Singh said in the documentary.