Sent to seal petrol pump, owner's family stabs Indian Oil employee to death

IndianOil manager Mahesh Shelke was killed while his team moved to seal a petrol pump in Hingoli district. The attack has triggered a police hunt for the prime accused and drawn a sharp response from the Centre.Sent to seal petrol pump, owner's family stabs Indian Oil employee to deathHingoli,Oct 7, 2026 14:52 ISTAn employee of Indian Oil was stabbed to death while he and his team were carrying out an operation to seal a petrol pump in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district on Tuesday, police said.The incident took place at around 4.30 pm. The victim was identified as Mahesh Shelke, an Indian Oil employee.According to police, the petrol pump had earlier remained non-functional and had resumed operations a few days ago. Shelke and his team were at the pump as part of the process to seal it when an argument reportedly broke out between Shelke, family members of the pump owner and others present at the spot.The argument turned violent, and Shelke was stabbed seven times with a knife. He died on the spot, police said. The exact reason behind the dispute is yet to be established, police said. A team has been formed to trace and nab the prime accused in the case.Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri expressed shock over the incident and said Shelke was a Manager (Retail Sales) at IndianOil. In a post on X, Puri said Shelke lost his life in Maharashtra while discharging his official duties and was part of a team carrying out the takeover of an IndianOil retail outlet in Hingoli district when he was attacked with a sharp weapon. Puri strongly condemned the incident, calling it a “heinous and unacceptable act of violence”, and offered his condolences to Shelke’s family.He said the Petroleum Ministry and IndianOil stood with the bereaved family and would extend all possible support. Puri also said the matter had been taken up with the senior-most officials of the Maharashtra government and police to ensure swift and strict action against those responsible in accordance with the law.“The safety, dignity and security of our energy-sector personnel, who work tirelessly to serve the nation, remain paramount,” Puri said.- EndsWith PTI inputs.