Gorakhpur, 30 Jan: On Monday, a special court of the NIA and the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) sentenced Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi to death in connection with a purported terror assault on the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur on April 3, 2022.
The prisoner received the death penalty under Section 121 of the IPC and life imprisonment under Section 307 of the IPC. The fast-track court concluded the hearing and issued the decision in a record two months.
On Friday, the NIA-ATS special court in Lucknow presided by special judge Vivekanand Saran Tripath found Abbasi guilty and sentenced him on Monday. The 31-year-old chemical engineer from IIT-Mumbai was convicted of assaulting PAC personnel at the temple’s gate.
As the temple’s top priest, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s dwelling is situated on the temple grounds. The court handed down the verdict after finding strong evidence against him supplied by the UP ATS.
According to the event, on April 3, 2022, Abbasi attempted to penetrate the security of the Gorakhnath Temple grounds by attacking PAC personnel Anil Kumar Paswan at the temple entrance. Abbasi also wounded two other PAC personnel in the process. However, the attack was thwarted by other staff there, and he was apprehended. According to reports, Abbasi also attempted to steal a security guard’s firearm.
