AKOLA: Maharashtra state Congress vice-president Hidayat Patel was stabbed in Akot taluka, in Akola, moments after he stepped out of Markaz Masjid in Mohala village after offering namaz on Tuesday. Police arrested the assailant later in the day.Police said the attacker had stabbed Patel multiple times in the neck and abdomen with a sharp weapon before fleeing. Patel, bleeding profusely, collapsed outside the mosque, triggering panic in the locality. Locals rushed him to a private hospital in Akot. As his condition worsened, Patel was shifted to a private hospital in Akola. Doctors said his condition remained critical.Akot rural police, senior officers and a forensic team rushed to the spot. Blood samples and other evidence were collected. Police deployment was intensified in the area.Police arrested the assailant, Ubed Patel, from Panj village and registered a case of attempted murder against him at Akot Rural PS. Akola SP Archit Chandak said preliminary investigations indicated that the attack had stemmed from an old dispute and political rivalry. The accused reportedly told cops he suspected the involvement of Patel’s group in the 2019 death of one of his family members. He claimed despite familial ties, Patel stalled his rise as a politician. Hidayat Patel is a well-known Congress neta in Akola. He had contested Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019.
