LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has handed over to the ATS the probe into the attack on two constables of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) at the south gate of the famous and revered temple of Gorakshnath Peeth, the security of which was reviewed at a high-level meeting convened by Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Awanish Awasthi here on Monday.
The attack on the three PAC constables had taken place when a man armed with a knife tried to forcibly enter the heavily guarded temple premises late on Sunday night injuring the two constables.
The UP Special Task Force (STF) will also coordinate with the ATS in ascertaining the reasons for the attack on the Gorakshnath temple. “The attack on the PAC personnel in Gorakshnath temple is part of a conspiracy. It can be called a terror incident. UP ATS has been given the responsibility of its investigation,” said Awasthi.
The video of the attack at the gate of the temple in Gorakhpur went viral on social media. Gopal Gaud, Anil Paswan and Anurag Rajput, personnel of the 20th Battalion of PAC, were at the main gate when Ahmed Murtuja Abbasi, with a bag in his hand, got into a scuffle with them. Suddenly, he took out a sharp weapon wrapped in a cloth from his bag and attacked the PAC constables. In the video, Abbasi is seen dodging security personnel brandishing the weapon. Abbasi’s family has claimed he is mentally unstable. The cops are also seen attempting to overpower the accused in the video, with some throwing bricks at him. Locals are also seen helping the police, who eventually catch him.
However, the security of the temple premises and other installations has been spruced up. Meanwhile, UP CM Yogi Adityanath has announced an award of Rs 5 lakh each to the three constables who foiled the attack, said Awasthi.
According to Gorakhpur range deputy inspector general (DIG) of police J Ravinder Goud, the attacker had been hospitalised as he was also injured in the scuffle with the cops.
Police sources confirmed that the attacker identified as Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi, aged around 30 years, and a chemical engineer who passed out from IIT-Bombay in 2015, was overpowered by a group of security personnel after over 10 minutes. Later, he was taken to hospital for treatment. Constables Gopal Gaud and Anil Paswan suffered injuries on their legs.
The police also recovered a bag from the possession of the attacker. The bag was carrying his PAN card, Aadhaar card, a laptop and an air ticket from Gorakhpur to Delhi dated March 28. Additionally, besides the knife used by him in the attack, another one was found in the bag of the attacker.
A police official privy to the investigation said the initial probe suggested that Abbasi was accompanied by somebody else, but the second person disappeared from the scene. Police are looking into the radicalization issue.
Prashant Kumar, additional director general of police (ADG), law and order, said: “Our officers posted at the site did a commendable job by stopping a man who was raising religious slogans brandishing a sharp-edged weapon. The accused was
also attacking people with the weapon and injured two of the security personnel. The additional SP, along with senior officials, reached the site immediately. The bravery shown by security forces is commendable and a cash reward of Rs 50,000 is being given to the three security personnel. Their names will also be recommended for the Shaurya Award.”
“The investigation has been handed over to the ATS to ascertain if there is any conspiracy behind the incident. The team is examining the items recovered from the accused. We are not denying any possibility at the moment. We are also not ruling out terror angle,” he said adding that security of other installations including Ayodhya, Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi and temples in Mathura has also been spruced up.