Man attacks cops outside Gorakhnath Temple in UP, ATS to probe incident

The accused tried to forcibly enter the Gorakhnath temple premises on Sunday after raising the religious slogan of `Allahu Akbar`.

Gorakhpur: A man attacked two PAC constables with a sharp-edged weapon at the south gate of Gorakhnath temple here and tried to enter the temple premises, police said. The accused has been identified as Murtaza and has been arrested, they said. According to police, the accused tried to forcibly enter the temple premises on Sunday (April 3) after raising the religious slogan of "Allahu Akbar".

"Two of our Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) constables were injured after the accused tried to enter the temple with a sharp-edged weapon. He went to a PAC post near the gate and tried to attack the police," ADG, Gorakhpur zone, Akhil Kumar said. The accused, who was also injured in the attack, was held by the constables, he said.

The officer said the injured constables -- Gopal Kumar Gaur and Anil Paswan -- were given first aid at Guru Gorakhnath hospital and are undergoing treatment at BRD Medical College.

"The accused is also undergoing treatment at the district hospital. Initial investigation revealed that his name is Murtaza and is a resident of Gorakhpur," Kumar said.

He also said that the angle of terror cannot be ruled out as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath often visits the region. "Strict action will be taken after probing the incident from all angles," the ADG added.

Meanwhile,  the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to hand over the probe to the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) as the terror angle of the incident is not being ruled out.  "The case has been transferred to ATS as we cannot rule out the terror angle in the incident and a detailed investigation has been initiated."Vipin Tada, SSP Gorakhpur told ANI.

(With agency inputs)