Jharkhand: Muslim man beaten to death over ‘affair’ with Hindu girl

Gumla: A 19-year-old Muslim man was tied to a pole and beaten to death in Jharkhand's Gumla district allegedly over his relationship with a Hindu girl. Three people have been arrested in the incident, police said on Thursday.

"We have arrested three persons on Thursday in connection with the killing of Mohammad Shalik, who was beaten to death after being spotted with his girlfriend belonging to another community," Superintendent of Police Chandan Kumar Jha said. He said the incident was "a fall-out of the affair and was not a communal incident".

The arrests were made on the basis of leads provided by the girl during police questioning, the officer said.

The girl's family were against the relationship and had warned the man to stay away from her, he said. Shalik did not listen to the warning and came to drop her off near her home on Wednesday night, he added.

On seeing him and the 15-year-old girl together, the locals allegedly tied him to a pole in front of the girl and thrashed him badly near Soso Mode that comes under the Gumla police station.

When Shalik did not return home late night, his family members enquired about his whereabouts from his friends.

The family members found Shalik in a serious condition and rushed him to a hospital in Gumla but he died from his injuries on Thursday, Mr Jha said.

Police are trying to find out whether the girl's family members instigated the mob.

All the arrested persons have been sent to jail on Friday, he said.