Maharashtra Congress vice-president Hidayatullah Patel killed in stabbing

The wounds to his chest and neck proved fatal to Hidayatullah Patel, the Maharashtra Congress vice-president, who was under treatment after being stabbed inside the Jama Masjid in Mohala village of Akot taluka in Akola district shortly after offering namaz, in an attack that the Congress party has alleged arose from political enmity.

Patel, 66, was attacked with a sharp weapon at around 1.30 pm on Tuesday as he was stepping out of the mosque, and the assault, which was carried out in a public religious space, triggered widespread shock and condemnation across the political spectrum in Maharashtra, Maktoob media reported.

The former president of the Akola District Congress Committee sustained grievous injuries to his neck and chest, which led to profuse bleeding, and he was rushed to a private hospital in Akot, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. Despite sustained medical intervention, Patel succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday morning, a police official confirmed, noting that the injuries were life-threatening in nature.

Following the attack, the Akola police formed six teams to trace the accused, and the suspect, identified as Ubed Khan Kalu Khan alias Razik Khan Patel, aged 22, was arrested at around 8 pm on Tuesday from Panaj village in Akot taluka.

Senior police officials stated that further investigation was underway to establish the precise motive behind the attack, while also examining the background of the alleged enmity.

The Maharashtra Congress described the killing as a deplorable incident arising from political animosity and said Patel’s death during treatment represented an irreparable loss to the party and to public life in Akola district.

Party leaders at the state and national levels expressed deep grief, emphasising that Patel had been a disciplined and people-oriented leader who remained consistently engaged with grassroots issues and local governance concerns.

Senior Congress leaders also said the incident raised serious questions about the prevailing law and order situation in Maharashtra, particularly when a senior political functionary could be fatally attacked in broad daylight, and they called for a thorough investigation and strict action against those responsible.

In the aftermath of the killing, security was tightened in Mohala village and Akot city, with the District Superintendent of Police personally reviewing the situation to prevent any escalation of tension.

Hidayatullah Patel, also known as Hidayatullah Barakatulla Patel, was born to Barakatulla Patel and was a prominent figure in Akola politics. He contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Akola constituency in 2014 and 2019 as a Congress candidate but was unsuccessful.