A crowd of people in Assam, India, took matters into their own hands on Thursday by stripping and beating a member of Congress who is accused of rape.

A group of individuals made up mostly of women captured Bikram Singh Brahma after he reportedly raped a woman while staying at her family's residence on Wednesday night, according to The New York Times. Upon hearing the woman's cries for help, village people reportedly entered the house and grabbed Brahma. One of the local TV stations captured footage of the women ripping Brahma's shirt off and hitting him. 

Men also joined in and were repeatedly kicking Brahma. The pummeling of the politician allegedly continued on for several hours before police arrived around noon on Thursday. The riled up crowd wouldn't initially give Brahma over to the police until he confessed to the rape act. However, authorities eventually took the political figure into custody.

Senior police officer G.P. Singh said law enforcement officials will be seriously investigating the matter as to why Brahma was staying with the family of the victim during the time of the reported rape, according to reports from the The Huffington Post.

"We are taking this issue very seriously," he said.

Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi told PTI that anybody found responsible for committing the crime "would not be spared, whether he is Congressman or not. It is the most condemnable act. Anyone who commits rape or attempts it should be given stringent punishment."

If the India Supreme Court approves a newly filed petition, then Indian politicians with pending criminal charges could be banned from participating in both local and national elections, The Wall Street Journal noted.

Brahma is currently suspended from his party, according to Congress spokesperson Haren Das. 

Tags: offbeat