Graphic footage of a thug dragging a woman by her hair into a bar's toilet stall has sparked fury and renewed discussions about gender-based violence in China.

The shocking incident was captured by a security camera, which shows the frantic victim dashing out of the stall with her assailant chasing after her in Zhengzhou City's Max Club in Henan province on July 16.

The outburst stunned several other men using the bathroom. They were frozen in place as the attacker yanked the hapless lady by her hair and led her back inside the cubicle.

One man grabbed her hand and tried to pull her out but was unsuccessful. The group were then seen banging on the door and kicking it open, allowing the woman to bolt out of the restroom.

In a statement released on July 20, the Zhongmu County public security bureau said they have arrested the yob, identified by his surname, Li, 27, from Kaifeng City.

They said: 'Public security authorities have filed a case against him and enforced mandatory criminal measures in accordance with the law. The case is being further processed.'

Local media reported that Li and the woman allegedly knew each other and had gone to the bar together but were not a couple.

The assault comes just a month after a similarly brutal attack in which gangsters battered a group of women who spurned their advances in a restaurant in Tangshan City, Hebei province in June.

China is ranked 39th out of 189 countries in the United Nations' Gender Equality Index. The Chinese government has also been known to censor the country's feminist movement.