The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) reached Mumbai on Tuesday to probe the attack on two police personnel outside the Goraknath Temple in Gorakhpur. The UP Police team in its initial probe found out that the accused Murtaza Abbasi, a Gorakhpur resident, had not met his family members for the last three years.
The father of the accused, Munir Abbasi, has told ANI that Murtaza is mentally unstable and had no intention of staging the attack. He stated, “He [Murtaza] is not mentally stable. Since childhood, he is suffering from depression. He also received medical treatment.” Munir added, “He had no planning and did this due to his current mental state.”
According to media reports, the UP Police have recovered a laptop and a mobile from the accused that contain videos related to Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.
As per footages of the attack on social media, Murtaza Abbasi attacked police personnel outside the Goraknath Temple with a sickle. Passersby can be seen lobbing rocks at the accused to defend themselves.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath handed over the investigation in the case to UP ATS on Monday. In the aftermath of the attack, UP ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said that a terror angle cannot be ruled out in the case. Notably, Yogi Adityanath is the head seer of the Goraknath Temple.
