21-year-old Muslim student in Maha beaten to death, body dumped outside home

Suleman Rahim Khan, 21, the son of a farmer from Chhoti Betawad in Maharashtra’s Jamner taluka, was abducted in broad daylight, assaulted at multiple locations, and left dead outside his home. His parents and sister were also attacked when they tried to intervene.

According to witnesses, a group of around 9 to 15 men first confronted Suleman—reportedly in the company of a 17-year-old girl from another community—at a café located just a few metres from the local police station. He was forced into a vehicle, taken to several locations, and beaten repeatedly before being brought back to his village, where the fatal assault took place.

Suleman had recently completed Class 12 and was preparing for police recruitment, aiming to join the force next year. On the day of the attack, he had gone to Jamner to submit his application—a journey that was meant to mark the start of his career but ended in his death, Maktoob Media reported.

Instead of rushing Suleman to a hospital, the assailants allegedly left his body at his doorstep and then attacked his family, injuring his father, mother, and sister. Police said the attackers used sticks, iron rods, and their bare hands, inflicting severe internal injuries.

Doctors at Jalgaon District Hospital pronounced Suleman dead on arrival. At the family’s request, an in-camera post-mortem was carried out under police protection to record all wounds in detail.

Rahim Khan, Suleman’s father, told Maktoob that there was “not a single inch” of his son’s body without injuries. He said the attackers brutally beat Suleman and then turned on the family when they tried to intervene. Calling Suleman his only son, he vowed not to rest until those responsible received the harshest punishment under the law.

The killing has heightened tensions in Jamner, raising concerns about targeted communal violence in rural Maharashtra and drawing comparisons to the Beed lynching earlier this year. Relatives and community representatives are demanding that the accused be charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), describing the assault as “a textbook case of gang violence.” A memorandum to State Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis is being prepared via the District Collector.

On Monday evening, public anger erupted into a sit-in protest outside the Jamner police station, with residents demanding the swift arrest of all accused. Superintendent of Police Maheshwar Reddy personally addressed the crowd, assuring them of a thorough probe.

Reddy told *Maktoob* that four suspects have been arrested so far, while five others are being tracked down. He said the incident appears to be connected to an “inter-community relationship” but stressed that the exact motive is still under investigation. “The situation in Jamner is under control, and additional forces from the crime branch and Nashik Range have been deployed,” he added.

The FIR filed at the Jamner police station lists charges of murder, kidnapping, rioting, and unlawful assembly under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Despite police assurances, tensions remain high, with crowds continuing to gather outside the station. The case is rapidly becoming a key test of whether Maharashtra’s administration can curb the growing wave of mob violence.