A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Lucknow on Monday awarded a death sentence to Murtaza Abbasi, who was arrested last April in connection with an attack on security personnel deployed outside the Gorakhnath temple in 2022. Special judge Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi convicted Mr. Abbasi under Section 121 (Waging or attempting to wage war against the Government of India) and Section 307 (Attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Mr. Abbasi, a chemical engineer by training, is a resident of Gorakhpur’s Civil Lines area and worked with two prominent companies. His family members said he was going through mental health issues since 2017 and was under treatment. The Uttar Pradesh police and the ATS, who investigated the issue, said that Mr. Abbasi had sworn allegiance to the terror organisation Ansar-ul-Tauheed in 2013; the organisation later merged with IS in 2014.
The head priest (Mahant) of Gorakhnath Temple is Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
