Rape accused thrashed by lawyers in a court in Chennai

Some of the 17 men accused of raping a girl with hearing disability for months in Tamil Nadu's Chennai were beaten up by a group of lawyers in a local court, reports said. The accused were thrashed when they were brought for an appearance before the magistrate in the women's court, they added. In a video of the assault, which has gone viral, a group of men in white shirts and black trousers are seen dragging a man from a staircase, beating him with fists and kicking him on his stomach. Police arrested the men, including 300-flat building's security guards, plumber and lift operator, on Tuesday following a complaint by the victim's father on Sunday. All of them were produced before the court which remanded them to judicial custody till July 31. “The girl has said that she was molested by 11 people and has identified 17 persons (including accomplices of the alleged perpetrators of the crime),” a senior police official told PTI. The official said the victim identified all the accused. At least four of them have confessed to the assault and two others said they had molested the girl, the official added. Police said the girl was first sexually assaulted by a 66-year-old lift operator after she returned from school and was cycling around the complex and later several others joined in the assault.