IIT Graduate Attacks Cops Outside Gorakhpur Temple, Govt Says 'Act of Terror'

UP CM Yogi Adityanath, who travelled to Gorakhpur on Monday evening, met with the injured police officers.

An IIT-Bombay graduate was taken into custody in Gorakhpur on Sunday, 3 April.

(Photo: Piyush Rai/The Quint)

An IIT-Bombay graduate, identified as Ahmad Murtaza, was taken into custody in Gorakhpur on Sunday, 3 April, after he attacked two police officers stationed outside the Gorakhnath temple with a sharp weapon while raising religious slogans, the police said.

The incident took place at the Gorakhnath temple, the headquarters of the Gorakhnath mutt, of which Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the head priest.

Later, the UP government in a press release said that the attack was part of a serious conspiracy, and labelled it a "terrorist incident."

"The attack on police personnel in Gorakhnath temple, Gorakhpur, is part of a serious conspiracy, and based on the available facts, it can be said that it is a terrorist incident," the release in Hindi stated.

Murtaza and the two police officers are receiving treatment in a local hospital. CM Yogi Adityanath, who travelled to Gorakhnath on Monday evening, met with the injured police officers and visited the site of the incident.

What Had Happened?

"Around 7 pm, two PAC jawans at the entrance of the temple were attacked by a man using a sharp weapon. While one of the officers got injured after repeated attacks by the man, other officers took cognisance while he entered the gate and tried to attack the PAC post nearby. The other jawans present there tried to stop him. A PAC constable called Anurag tried to brave him. The police exercised restraint despite his repeated attacks and till he was overpowered by several officers and people around. The man has been identified as Ahmad Murtuza, a resident of Gorakhpur. While attacking, he was raising religious slogans. We cannot rule out any possibilities, especially a terror angle. All angles are being probed," ADG Akhil Kumar told the media.

In a video of the incident, Murtaza can be seen hurling the weapon and trying to attack the officers, while constables and civilians can be seen pelting stones and bricks at him to try to overpower him.

Murtaza has been charged by the Uttar Pradesh Police with attempt to murder and promoting enmity on the grounds of religion.

Meanwhile, Murtaza's father said that his son was not mentally stable.

He added that since childhood, Murtaza had been suffering from depression, for which he had also received medical treatment, news agency ANI reported.

"Due to some developments, he believed that the police were after him. He had no planning and did this due to his current mental state," his father added.

'Trying To Enter Temple With Bad Intention': Govt

The government's press release further said that the attacker was trying to enter the temple premises with the "bad intention" of carrying out a terrorist attack, which was foiled by the jawans of the PAC and the police.

The release also added that CM Adityanath had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for the policemen who tried to foil the attack.

UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya also condemned the incident through a tweet and said that the government had given an order to investigate the matter.

"The attempt to illegally enter the Gorakhnath temple and attack the security personnel is extremely sad and condemnable. The state government has given instructions to investigate the incident," Maurya said in a tweet in Hindi.

ADG Kumar added that two jawans – Gopal Gaur and Anil Paswan – were seriously injured and were taken to the temple hospital before being shifted to another hospital. The attacker was also injured in the incident and was treated at the Sadar hospital, the police said.

The police also said that there could be a terror plot regarding the case, as Adityanath was known to visit the area often. "There could be terror angle in it. The case is to be transferred to Anti-Terror Squad," Prashant Kumar, UP ADG (law and order), was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Murtuza is a 2015 graduate from IIT-Bombay, the police said.

(With inputs from Hindustan Times.)