In a shocking incident, a 21-year-old Muslim man was allegedly killed by members of a Hindutva group in Jamner, located in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, on Monday.

Suleman Rahim Khan Pathan was reportedly attacked after being spotted with a Hindu woman from his village at a local cafe, as shared by his relative Abdullah Pathan.

The local police registered a case of murder, abduction, rioting, criminal intimidation, and breach of peace at 10:45 PM on the same day, five hours post the incident. The first information report identifies five suspects: Abhishek Rajput, Ranjeet Matade, Aaditya Devre, Krishna Teli, and Sojwal Teli, along with 12 unidentified individuals.

According to Suleman's family, some of the accused are known as gau rakshaks, or cow vigilantes. Jalgaon Superintendent of Police Maheshwar Reddy confirmed that four individuals have been apprehended, while efforts are ongoing to locate five more. He indicated that the murder seems to be connected to an 'inter-community relationship,' but the investigation is still in progress.

Suleman was from Betawad village and had recently completed his studies, preparing to apply for a position in the police force. Abdullah mentioned that Suleman had traveled to Jamner on August 11 to submit his police recruitment application, and the family was unaware of the woman he intended to meet.

The two met at Brand Cafe, where the owner recognized Suleman as a Muslim and the woman as a Hindu, subsequently alerting local youths.

Abdullah recounted that Suleman was taken to Sonbardi temple near Jamner, where he was severely beaten. Following this, he was transported to a nearby village for further assault and then to the Betawad bus stand, where he was attacked again in public.

Suleman's father, Rahim Khan Pathan, along with family members, rushed to his aid but were also assaulted by the attackers. Rahim reported that they suffered injuries from iron rods and sticks during the confrontation.

Rahim noted that Suleman was bleeding from his ear and had sustained multiple head injuries, with Abdullah adding that Suleman's genitals had been mutilated. The attackers threatened villagers against assisting the family, leading to a lack of support when they sought help.

Initially, the family attempted to take Suleman to a private hospital, but he was refused admission due to the lack of necessary medical expertise. They then transported him to a civil hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:30 PM.

Javed Mullaji, a former corporator in Jalgaon, condemned the attack, stating it was a direct assault on the Muslim community, emphasizing that the attackers aimed to instill fear.