A top Mongolian rapper was beaten into a coma by a Russian diplomat after wearing a swastika on stage, his lawyer and family have claimed.

Amarmandakh Sukhbaatar was performing in the country’s capital Ulan Bator when the alleged attack took place, BBC reported.

Russian news reports said he was hit over the head with a bottle and repeatedly kicked in the face.

The Russian embassy said it was investigating, but called local press reports “distorted”.

The rapper had taken to the stage in a red deel – a Mongolian robe – embroidered with a swastika.

Though associated with the Nazis, the swastika is a traditional symbol in Mongolia that pre-dates Hitler.

Mr Sukhbaatar’s father, Sevjidiin Sukhbaatar, told a news conference that his son spent about 10 days in a coma after the beating.

“My son was hit in the face several times with a metal object and was seriously injured. His brain was seriously hurt,” he said.

Mr Sukhbaatar displayed a book of traditional swastika patterns to emphasise that it is not a hate symbol in his country.