Maharashtra man beaten to death after being seen talking to girl; police suspect old rivalry

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A 21-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death by a group of around ten people in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district after they saw him talking to a girl, police said on Wednesday. Eight of the accused have been arrested, while a search is on for the mastermind, The Indian Express reported.

The victim, Suleiman Khan, was a resident of Betawad Khurd village and was preparing for the police recruitment exam. On Monday, he had gone to Jamner to fill out the exam form. At around 3.30 pm, while sitting in a café with a girl, a group of 8–10 people approached him.

According to police, they forcibly took his mobile phone, checked its contents, and found a photograph that appeared to anger them. They then began assaulting Khan inside the café before dragging him outside, the report said.

The attackers forced him to travel back to his village, where they allegedly beat him with sticks and iron rods at the bus stand. When Khan’s family members tried to intervene, they too were assaulted. Khan was rushed to the hospital, but doctors declared him dead on arrival.

As per The Indian Express, police suspect that an old rivalry between two groups may have been the real reason behind the murder. The four arrested suspects were produced before a local court and remanded in police custody.

The police in Jamner have deployed additional personnel in sensitive areas to prevent further trouble following the incident. On Monday night, Khan’s relatives and several locals gathered outside Jamner police station, demanding immediate arrests and strict punishment for the culprits.

A case has been registered under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including kidnapping, rioting, and murder. “We are investigating the case from all possible angles, but initial evidence suggests an old enmity as the main cause,” news agency PTI quoted a police official as saying.