Two men have been arrested in India after a college lecturer had his hand cut off for allegedly insulting the Prophet Mohammed.

A group of men attacked 52-year-old TJ Joseph as he returned from church in the southern state of Kerala.

The assailants bashed him before cutting off his right hand.

He was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery but it is unclear if the operation has been successful.

The lecturer, from Newman Christian College, had been on bail since April, when Muslim activists accused him of writing an exam question that generated hate speech and was offensive to the Prophet Mohammed.

The state government of Kerala has condemned the attack on Mr Joseph as a brutal "Taliban-style" act.