Jalgaon, Maharashtra: Suleman Rahim Khan, 21, a resident of Chhoti Betawad village in Jamner taluka, was brutally lynched in broad daylight on Tuesday by a mob of up to 15 men, who also assaulted his parents and sister when they tried to intervene. The attack, believed to be communal in nature, has sparked tension in the region and renewed calls for stricter action against mob violence.

According to eyewitnesses, the assault began near a café close to the local police station, where Suleman was allegedly spotted with a 17-year-old girl from another community. He was forcibly dragged into a vehicle and beaten across several locations before being brought back to his village, where the final, fatal assault occurred.

Suleman, who had recently completed his Class 12 exams and was preparing for police recruitment, had travelled to Jamner earlier that day to submit his application. “It should have been the first step towards his future,” said a grieving relative. “Instead, it became the last day of his life.”

Rather than rushing him to a hospital, the attackers reportedly left his unconscious body outside his home, where they then turned their violence on his family. Suleman’s father, mother, and sister sustained injuries after being attacked with sticks and iron rods.

“He was covered in wounds from head to toe,” said his father, Rahim Khan. “When we ran to stop them, they beat us too. He was my only son. We want justice--nothing less than the harshest punishment.”

Doctors at Jalgaon District Hospital declared Suleman dead on arrival. An in-camera post-mortem was conducted under police guard, as requested by the family, to document the full extent of the injuries.

The lynching has triggered protests in Jamner, with community leaders and relatives demanding that those responsible be booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). A memorandum to state Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis is being drafted through the District Collector’s office. 

(With agency inputs)