JALGAON, 11 AUG

A 21-year-old man from Chhoti Betawad village in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district was allegedly beaten to death by a mob over speaking to a woman from another community, police said on Monday.

The deceased, identified as Suleman Rahim Khan, had recently cleared Class 12 and visited Jamner city to submit his application for police recruitment. While at a café near the local police station, he was confronted by a group of 9–15 men, who allegedly kidnapped and assaulted him with sticks, iron rods and bare hands, police said.

According to the complaint, Khan was taken to multiple locations, beaten, and later dumped outside his home in Chhoti Betawad. His family members, who tried to intervene, were also attacked. He was rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

The incident has triggered protests and heightened communal tension in the region. Additional police forces have been deployed around Jamner police station to prevent further unrest.

A case has been registered under charges of murder, kidnapping, rioting and unlawful assembly under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said. Four of the accused have been arrested, while others are absconding. Local organisations have demanded the invocation of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case.

Political leaders and rights groups have condemned the killing, calling it a case of mob lynching and seeking a swift and impartial investigation.