Guwahati/Kohima, March 10: Gauhati High Court today directed the Nagaland government to ensure adequate security for all prisoners lodged in the state's jails in view of last week's lynching of a rape accused in Dimapur.

The division bench of acting Chief Justice K. Sreedhar Rao and Justice P.K. Saikia issued the order during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) that sought a CBI investigation under the court's monitoring, transfer of all non-Naga inmates from jails in Nagaland to Assam and compensation to the victim's family, among others.

The PIL was filed by high court lawyer Rajeeb Kalita yesterday, following widespread condemnation of lynching of the rape accused from Assam, Syed Farid Khan, in Dimapur on March 5.

A senior advocate of the high court, Bhaskar Dev Konwar, who appeared on behalf of Kalita at today's hearing, told The Telegraph that the division bench issued notices to the Centre and the Nagaland government, seeking their replies to the PIL within two weeks.

'We informed the court about the apprehension growing among families of those lodged in Nagaland jail. The court then asked the Nagaland government to ensure adequate security in the jails there,' Konwar said.

The Union ministry of home affairs today submitted a report in the high court on the preliminary investigation conducted by Nagaland government into the lynching.

The report, a copy of which is with The Telegraph , says four cases have been registered in four police stations and the accused arrested so far have been booked under IPC sections, including 302 (murder).

'Each case is being investigated by a special investigation team and is being monitored by senior officers. Analysis of the video footages and photographs has also started. Besides, deputy commissioners/superintendents of police in all the 11 districts have been directed to take all possible measures to maintain peace and order. A judicial inquiry has also been ordered into the incident,' the report says.

Nagaland has also requested the Assam government to ensure safety of its people living in Assam, the report adds. It, however, mentions nothing about the status of the alleged rape case, Konwar said.

Kalita's PIL sought a high court-monitored CBI investigation, saying it was necessary for an impartial investigation as the incident took place in the presence of CRPF. 'Both the CRPF and the CBI are under the home ministry, so we wanted the CBI investigation to be monitored by the high court,' Konwar said.

In the meantime, a blame game has started in Nagaland. The state government, which is in the line of fire for handling the situation inefficiently, including from the Centre and the Assam government, is trying to wash its hands of the incident.

Home minister Y. Patton said he was not aware of the arson in Dimapur on March 4 and the storming of the central jail and lynching of Khan on March 5. He said he came to know about the incidents on the evening of March 5.

He, however, refused to resign, blaming the district administration and Er. Picto Shohe, parliamentary secretary for jails, who visited the central jail at 5.30pm after the incident, for inefficiently handling the situation.

Patton's assertions also differ from the state government's over the alleged rape. Government sources said they were waiting for a forensic report from Guwahati while Patton, citing a medical report, said the victim was raped. The chief minister's office said ex gratia would be paid to a civilian killed on March 5 and to Khan's family but Patton said no ex gratia would be paid to the latter.

All Naga NGOs condemned the incident, demanded that culprits be brought to book and blamed vested interests for instigating the mob to take the law into its hands.

Khekiye K. Sema, a retired IAS officer and now a social activist, alleged that the entire episode sounded more like 'consensual sex than rape'.

'According to the CCTV footage of the hotel lobby, Syed Farid Khan was first seen signing in and a moment later being followed by the girl in question concealing her face,' Sema said. He asked what the girl was doing with someone she probably did not even know well enough to be closeted in a hotel room.

'Did the girl in question raise an alarm and did the hotel management hear such a commotion if raised? It is hard to believe that someone would willingly follow a rapist to a den to be raped, no matter what the medical report may say,' Sema said.

The girl had alleged that she was raped even before going to the hotel.

The Naga Mothers' Association condemned the lynching and asked people not to politicise the incident.

The Nagaland government advised people not to travel to Assam in view of the volatile situation while the Dimapur Naga Students' Union assured safety of non-Nagas living in Dimapur.