Mumbai: On the map, Betawad Khurd in Maharashtra’s northern district of Jalgaon is a small trapezoid-shaped village. For 20-year-old Suleman Khan Pathan, it was his entire world.
When his father once needed urgent surgery, the village of about 3,000 raised the money. His best friends were all Hindus—unsurprising in a village with more than 600 Hindu households and just four Muslim ones.
At home, the family joked that Suleman thought he was Hindu.
In 2024, he became head of the local Ganesh mandal, leading the annual festivities: fundraising, choosing the idol, and overseeing every detail of the celebrations.
He refused offers to migrate, even turning down his brother-in-law’s job at a mobile shop, because he wanted to stay in the village he loved.
On 11 August 2025, that devotion cost him his life.
Suleman was lynched in a nearby town by a mob of Hindu men that included his childhood friends—men he once called his jaan, his life.
A Brutal Killing
News reports (here, here and here) say Suleman had been to a café in Jamner town, 20 km away, to meet a 17-year-old Hindu girl. Around 11 am, a mob barged in, dragged him out, and beat him with iron rods and wooden sticks.
The café is less than a minute from the local police station.
This story was originally published in article-14.com. Read the full story here.