Muslim student in India beaten to death for talking to Hindu girl
Killing in Maharashtra fuels outrage over rising anti-Muslim violence as police accused of shielding perpetrators
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A 20-year-old Muslim college student has been lynched by a Hindu extremist mob in western India, in what rights advocates are calling a brutal example of rising anti-Muslim violence.
Suleman Khan was reportedly attacked on Tuesday in Jalgaon district, Maharashtra, after being seen speaking with a Hindu girl near his home in Jamner taluka.
Eyewitnesses said Khan was surrounded and beaten mercilessly by a group of local men, while his family, who tried to intervene, were also assaulted. The attack unfolded in full view of his relatives, leaving them traumatised.
His family has accused police of pressuring them to carry out his burial quickly instead of arresting the accused, deepening their anguish.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader and former MP Imtiaz Jaleel condemned the killing as a “grave failure of the system” and demanded immediate arrests.
Independent journalist Kunal Purohit linked the attack to a climate of hatred in the state, noting that “for three years, Maharashtra has seen record levels of anti-Muslim hate speeches, led by cabinet minister Nitesh Rane… This violence—killing a Muslim boy because he was sitting with a Hindu girl—is an outcome of that hate.”
Tensions have escalated sharply in the village since the killing, with additional police deployed to prevent further violence. Local residents say fear has gripped the community, particularly among Muslims, as similar attacks in recent years have gone unpunished or received inadequate official response.
Human rights groups have condemned the lynching and accused authorities of failing to uphold constitutional protections for minorities. They argue that repeated warnings from India’s top courts about mob violence have been ignored, allowing perpetrators to act with impunity.
The killing has reignited debate over the targeting of Muslim men in so-called “love jihad” conspiracy cases, where Hindu nationalist groups falsely claim Muslim men form relationships with Hindu women as part of a demographic plot. Analysts say such rhetoric, amplified by political leaders, fuels vigilante violence across India.
Khan’s death has become a rallying point for activists demanding legal reforms to address religiously motivated hate crimes. They warn that without swift and transparent prosecution, attacks on Muslims—especially young men—will continue.
As Suleman’s family grieves the loss of a promising young student, community leaders say his killing should serve as a wake-up call for the Indian government to confront extremist violence and dismantle the environment of hate that enables it.
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