The film purports to show migrant worker Ram Singh held captive and hanging chained by his hands and feet after he was accused of stealing.

While most the people seen in the video stand by doing nothing, one man, armed with a bat, repeatedly strikes him while he cries out in pain.

The unedited version of the video, filmed in the city of Amritsar and which lasts for 34 minutes, is too distressing to publish.

It is not clear who filmed the brutal assault, but it was alleged to have been a punishment inflicted by an employer following an allegation of workplace theft.

The country's north is home to a large population of migrant workers, where human rights abuses are often reported among workers.

The Times of India reported the video was filmed in the factory where Ram Singh worked.

His wife explained there was a theft at the factory and her husband was blamed, with a group of men turning up at the couple's home to threaten him.

She said: 'On Thursday, a few people came to our house in Khankot village in a car and forcibly took away my husband.

'They beat him mercilessly and threw him on [the] road. Later his body was recovered.'

Her account of the events matched that given by a nearby resident, who also described seeing him being bundled into a car. 

India Times reported bystanders can also be heard hurling abuse at him in Punjabi.

A spokesperson at the nearby police office confirmed it had opened a case report against three people, who had not yet been found. 

(dailymail.co.uk)