Congress leader attacked with sharp weapons in Maharashtra's Akola; critical
Akola (PTI): Senior Congress leader from Akola in Maharashtra, Hidayat Patel, was seriously injured as unidentified persons attacked him with sharp weapons soon after he offered namaz at a mosque in Akot taluka of the district, police said.
Patel (66) was attacked over an old enmity at Mohala this afternoon, they said.
The former district Congress president sustained injuries in the incident and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Akot, the police said.
Patel was at the Jama Masjid in Mohala for afternoon prayers. Around 1.30 pm, just as he was stepping out of the mosque after offering namaz, unidentified assailants attacked him on his neck with sharp weapons. Local residents rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he is undergoing treatment, they said.
Akot rural police are registering an offence and teams have been dispatched to trace the attackers.
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Child rape-murder: Hundreds protest on Mumbai-Bengaluru highway in Pune; traffic hit
Pune (PTI): Hundreds of people blocked the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway in Pune to protest the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl, leading to traffic disruption on the busy route for about four hours.
The girl's family members and other demonstrators placed the body on the road in the Navale Bridge area on Saturday evening and demanded stringent punishment for the 65-year-old man arrested in the case.
Several videos surfaced showing a huge traffic jam on the highway.
Later, the victim's last rites were performed at the Vaikunt crematorium here shortly after midnight amid tight police security.
The accused man, who works as a labourer and has a criminal record, allegedly lured the girl with the promise of food on Friday in the Bhor tehsil of Pune district. He then took her to a cattle enclosure where he allegedly sexually assaulted her and later killed her by hitting her with a stone, according to the police.
He was arrested based on CCTV footage from a private residence, which captured him with the child.
A case was registered against him under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and he has been remanded in police custody till May 7.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar on Saturday met the family of the victim, assuring them of strict action against the accused and a fast-track trial.
Describing the incident as "shocking" and a "blot on humanity", Pawar said the government stands firmly with the victim's family and will ensure justice.
She also spoke to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and sought a fast-track court trial so that the accused receives the harshest punishment.
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde directed Pune rural police to gather concrete evidence to build a watertight case and conduct the trial in a fast-track court.
Efforts should be made to ensure the accused gets the death penalty, a statement quoted Shinde as saying.
