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Gorakhnath temple attack: Accused to be shifted to Lucknow today
Ahmed Murtaza Abbasi, the accused in the security breach at Gorakhpur’s Gorakhnath temple on April 3, will be brought to Lucknow by the ATS on Tuesday after a special court in Lucknow granted him seven days custody remand for further interrogation, senior ATS officials said here on Monday.
Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi, the accused in the security breach at Gorakhpur’s Gorakhnath temple on April 3, will be brought to Lucknow by UP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) on Tuesday after a special court of ATS in Lucknow granted his seven days custody remand for further interrogation, said senior ATS officials here on Monday.
Additional director general of police of UP ATS, Naveen Arora, confirmed that the ATS court has granted seven days police custody remand from Tuesday, and the accused will be further interrogated on the basis of new information collected about him and his intentions behind the attack on the temple.
Arora added that the ATS will take the custody of the accused on Tuesday and bring him to Lucknow.
Abbasi is presently lodged in Gorakhpur jail after being remanded in judicial custody for 14 days after his police custody remand ended on April 16.
“The accused will be brought to Lucknow from Gorakhpur under the security of ATS commandos,” Arora added.
On April 3 evening, Abbasi, an IIT-Mumbai graduate, had tried to enter the Gorakhnath temple premises and attacked the security personnel at its gate when challenged. In the process, Abbasi injured two Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) constables with a sickle, but his bid to enter the premises was foiled, and he was arrested.
The security staff seized the sickle used in the attack and a knife from his possession.
The police official said the case was already transferred to the special court of ATS in Lucknow last week after the investigation agency invoked the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against the accused on April 16. The UAPA section 16 for terrorist act, section 18 (terror conspiracy), section 20 (being a member of a terrorist gang or organisation), and section 40 (offence of raising funds for a terrorist organisation) have been invoked against Abbasi.
The Gorakhnath temple premises in Gorakhpur also houses the residence of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who is the head priest of the temple. The CM was not present on the temple premises at the time of the attack.
