Large crowds gather in city of Jiangyou in Sichuan province after case causes outrage online

A large protest erupted in the south-western Chinese city of Jiangyou, videos on social media have shown, after the beating of a young girl by three other teenagers caused public outrage.

Protests are rare in China, where opposition to the ruling Communist party and anything seen as a threat to civil order is swiftly quashed.

But bullying in the country’s ultra-competitive education system has touched a public nerve, with a high-profile killing last year prompting national debate over how the law deals with juvenile offenders.

On Monday, police said two teenage girls were being sent to a correctional school for assaulting and verbally abusing a 14-year-old girl surnamed Lai.