A deserted view of Gorakhnath area in Gorakhpur, Sunday, April 18, 2021.
Highlights
- The attacker has been identified as Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi. He forcibly tried to enter the temple
- Armed with a sharp-edged weapon, Murtaza attacked two constables who tried to stop him
- Police said terror angle cannot be ruled. The attacker is a resident of Gorakhpur
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) will probe the incident of an attack on police constables at the Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur.
On Sunday, a man forcibly tried to enter the premises of Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur. Armed with a sharp-edged weapon, he attacked two constables who tried to stop him. The attacker, identified as Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi, dodged security personnel at the temple for around ten minutes before being overpowered.
Notably, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the head priest (Mahant) of Gorakhnath Temple and has his personal accommodation here. CM Yogi was not at the temple at the time of the attack.
According to police, the accused tried to forcibly enter the temple premises after raising the religious slogan of Allahu Akbar. "Two of our Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) constables were injured after the accused tried to enter the temple with a sharp-edged weapon. He went to a PAC post near the gate and tried to attack the police,” ADG, Gorakhpur zone, Akhil Kumar said.
Prashant Kumar, Additional director general (ADG), Law and Order, on Monday said, "A man forcibly tried to enter the temple premises and attacked the on-duty police personnel with a sharp weapon. The accused is a resident of Gorakhpur. The case has been transferred to ATS as we cannot rule out the terror angle in the incident and a detailed investigation has been initiated."
The accused, who was also injured in the attack, was held by the constables, he said. The injured constables have been identified as Gopal Kumar Gaur and Anil Paswan.
READ MORE: Man chants 'Allahu Akbar', attempts to enter Gorakhpur temple premises
