Police aspirant lynched in Maharashtra village over alleged interfaith link

A 21-year-old police aspirant was paraded through his own village and beaten to death in a daylight attack in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district, allegedly over his friendship with a 17-year-old girl from another faith.

His family, including his 80-year-old grandfather, were also assaulted when they tried to intervene.

The victim, identified as Suleman Rahim Khan Pathan from Chhota Betawat village, had left home on August 11 morning for nearby Jamner, about 15 km away, to fill out an online form for police recruitment. By mid-afternoon, police said, he was seated in a café with the girl when a group of 8–10 men confronted him.

“They snatched his phone, saw a photograph, and began assaulting him,” a police officer said. The men dragged Khan out of the café, took him back to his village, and forced him through the streets before savagely beating him near his home — some with sticks, others with kicks and punches.

When Khan’s parents and sister tried to shield him, they too were attacked. “They didn’t even spare my wife, daughter, or my 80-year-old father,” his father, Rahim Khan, said, describing how the mob targeted the family as villagers watched in fear.

The attackers allegedly left Khan outside his home, assuming he was dead. He was rushed to hospital by residents but declared dead on arrival. A postmortem confirmed multiple injuries.

Rahim Khan rejected claims that his son was romantically involved with the girl. “The affair story is completely false. They simply targeted my son,” he said, adding that Suleman had been preparing for the police recruitment exam.

Eight men have been arrested so far. Four — Abhishek Rajkumar Rajput (22), Ghanshyam alias Suraj Bihari Lal Sharma (25), Deepak Bajirao (20), and Ranjat alias Ranjit Ramkrishna Matade (48) — were held on Tuesday and remanded in custody until August 18. On August 13, police arrested Aditya Devade, Krishna Teli, Shejwal Teli, and Rishikesh Teli, all in their mid-20s, from various parts of Jalgaon. They are to be produced in court on August 14.

Jamner police have registered a case of murder, assault, and rioting, and say further arrests are likely.