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Attack on police at Gorakhanth temple a terror act: UP government
Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi, 30, was arrested after he allegedly attacked two PAC constables with a sickle and forcibly tried to enter the heavily-guarded premises of the temple in Gorakhpur late on Sunday.
An attack on policemen by an armed man who allegedly tried to forcibly enter Gorakhnath Temple was part of a conspiracy, Uttar Pradesh government said on Monday, even as the man’s family indicated that he was mentally unsound and undergoing treatment.
Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi, 30, was arrested after he allegedly attacked two PAC constables with a sickle and forcibly tried to enter the heavily-guarded premises of the temple in Gorakhpur late on Sunday. The temple is part of Gorakhnath Math, whose head priest is chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
The incident will be jointly probed by the state’s anti-terror squad (ATS) and a special task force (STF). “The attack on police jawans at Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur is a part of deep conspiracy, and based on the available facts, it can be said that it was a terror incident,” the state home department said in a statement.
“The attacker had tried to enter the temple premises with bad intention, which was neutralised by the brave jawans of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and police,” it added.
A police official, privy to the investigation, said Abbasi is a resident of Gorakhpur and completed his graduation in chemical engineering from IIT-Bombay in 2015. He worked in a multi-national company in Gujarat, he said.
However, a person close to Abbasi’s family, on condition of anonymity, claimed he was mentally unstable and being treated by a psychiatrist in Jamnagar since 2018. Abbasi’s father Munir Abbasi said that his son had a mental breakdown in 2017 and hasn’t recovered. “He has been ill continuously. After I retired, I could not leave him because he is mentally unstable so I brought him along with me. He claimed that he did not have depression, but he wanted to commit suicide,” the father told reporters.
IIT-Bombay has refused to comment on the matter.
The injured constables were given first aid at Guru Gorakhnath hospital and are undergoing treatment.
The accused was also injured in the incident and is undergoing treatment, police said.
Later on Monday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath met the injured officers.
“Directions have been given to UP ATS and UP STF to work jointly to probe the incident,” additional chief secretary (home) Awanish Awasthi told a media briefing.
Data retrieved from Abbasi’s laptop and phone suggested a major conspiracy behind the attack, the ADG, who was also present at the press meet, said.
