Gorakhnath Temple attacker Ahmed Abbasi sentenced to death in UP

Lucknow:

A special court here on Monday handed down the death sentence to a man accused of waging war on the government after he assaulted the jawan of an armed Uttar Pradesh police force at the Gorakhnath temple.

Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi, special judge of the ATS court, also imposed a fine of Rs 44,000 on Ahmed Murtaza Abbasi.

According to an FIR filed at Gorakhnath police station on April 4, 2022 based on a complaint by Vinay Kumar Mishra, Abbasi, a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), attempted to force his way into the premises. Gorakhnath temple the day before and attacked security personnel deployed there with a sickle, injuring two Provincial Armed Gendarmerie (PAC) officers.

He was subdued by security personnel and then arrested.

The investigation was led by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).

He had also tried to grab a gun.

When arrested, he was chanting religious slogans and was found in possession of a book in Urdu. He was allegedly linked to a terrorist organization.

The court had previously found him guilty under Sections 121 (waging or abetting war against the Government of India), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on religious grounds), 186 (obstructing an official in performance of public duties), 307 (attempt to murder), 332 (willfully injure to deter a public official from his duty) and 394 (willfully injure while committing robbery) of the Indian Penal Code.

He was also convicted of offenses under the Weapons Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act.

The court heard his lawyer on the quantum of the sentence and imposed the death sentence on him.