A man who used his mobile phone to film a violent clash between villagers and officials in rural China was beaten to death by public order "enforcers", Chinese state media reported yesterday, bringing more unwanted attention to the country's unruly hinterlands.

The People's Daily reported that 24 residents of Tianmen, a city in central China's Hubei province, have been detained after Wei Wenhua, the general manager of a company owned by the local water resources bureau, was pulled out of his car and savagely beaten.

Wei was driving through the area when he stopped to film the protests, which were triggered by a decision to build a rubbish tip close to a residential area.

It was not clear whether he stopped on impulse or deliberately set out to record the clashes, in which villagers faced about 50 local officials and enforcers known as chengguan. But when it became clear what he was doing, the chengguan turned on him. He tried to flee but was beaten for 10 minutes, witnesses said. Among those being questioned by police is a senior government official, the state news agency Xinhua said.

Witnesses also revealed that at least five other people were taken to hospital when the chengguan tried to put an end to an ugly confrontation that began at new year after the authorities reneged on a promise to shut down a rubbish tip built close to a residential area.

Normally hired by local authorities to enforce relocation orders, crack down on "antisocial" behaviour and disperse crowds, the role of the chengguan has aroused concern about the power and accountability of Chinese officialdom.

One indignant contributor to a local online discussion group said that they were "inhuman" and "out of control". Another, worried that the news will be suppressed by government censors, urged fellow internet users to spread the message as far as they could.