Lucknow, July 20
Youth Congress activist Nishant Patel, who mysteriously vanished from his hotel room in Hardoi district yesterday, was found injured near Buddheshwar crossing on the outskirts of the state capital. The police refused to divulge details of the 36-hour disappearance episode.

IG (Crime) GP Sharma said Patel had been found, but details surrounding the case were yet to be ascertained. The Lucknow DIG was speaking to him, he said. The Youth Congress activist who had been handpicked by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi to handle organisational elections in the state is the son of senior Congress leader from Gujarat and former minister Hasmukh Patel. Youth Congress state returning officer Arvind Chaudhary said Patel was got admitted to the trauma centre of the CSM Medical University this evening and had been administered heavy sedatives as he appeared to be in pain.

“The police was trying to speak to him, but he appeared rather dazed. Let the police finish. We do not want to add to his trauma by asking too many questions right away,” said Chaudhury.

Patel was staying at Utsav Hotel in Hardoi for the past few days to oversee the conduct of Youth Congress elections. Around 5 am, Nishant left the hotel on a cycle rickshaw, according to a hotel security guard. After that he went missing. However, his mobile phone and suitcase were found in the hotel room. Hardoi SP Gyan Singh said prima facie it appeared that he had left on his own.