An IIT graduate attacked two policemen with a sharp-edged weapon at a gate of the famed Gorakhnath temple and tried to barge into premises before being overpowered, Uttar Pradesh officials said on Monday terming it a “terror incident”.
The attack occurred on Sunday evening at the temple which is under high security as it is frequently visited by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is the head seer.The accused, identified as Murtaza Abbasi, was arrested and has been sent to judicial remand for two weeks, police said and alleged that he tried to forcibly enter the temple, which was teeming with devotees during the Navratri festival, after raising the religious slogan of “Allahu Akbar”.
Videos shared on social media showed the man brandishing a large sickle and roaming around on the premises, as some took cover while others threw stones at him. Soon a group a devotees along with security personnel surrounded him and pinned him to the ground.Murtaza was earlier taken to hospital and produced in a local court on Monday. His father Munir Abbasi said Murtaza belonged to the 2015 batch of IIT-Mumbai and was a chemical engineer.
