Karnataka: Kagawad Congress leader stabbed; his aides stage stir

BELAGAVI: Kagawad youth block president Prashant Aparaj was stabbed and brutally attacked by a group of miscreants late Monday night in Ainapur town of Kagawad taluk.
Aparaj had recently switched from the BJP to the Congress party. Police have suspected that this may be the reason behind the incident.
The group of miscreants, who followed Prashant on their bikes while he was returning to his home in Ainapur, stabbed him with knives on his abdomen, back and left arm.
They fled the spot, taking advantage of the darkness. Prashant has survived and is being treated at a private hospital in Kagawad.
According to Prashant's complaint to Kagwad police, the accused covered their faces and attacked him saying, "Why did you leave Tatya?". Kagawad BJP MLA Shrimant Patil is popularly called 'Tatya'.
Prashant was his private secretary and worked for him in the past two elections. Shrimant Patil who had won on a Congress ticket in the 2013 assembly elections, later joined the BJP as a part of Operation Lotus. It is said that Prashant was unhappy with the stand taken by Shrimant Patil.
He recently joined Congress and worked for Raju Kage, a former MLA. Considering his ability, the party elevated him to youth block president. Raju Kage visited Aparaj in the hospital.
Kagawad police registered a complaint under various sections of the IPC. However, no specific name has been mentioned in the police complaint, as miscreants had reportedly covered their faces.
Condemning the incident, Congress workers staged a protest in Ainapur town. Alleging it was a political attack, protesters demanded immediate arrest of the culprits. The protest was withdrawn only after senior police officers assured the Congress party workers that they would take swift action.