All about Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi, the IIT graduate awarded death penalty in Gorakhnath Temple attack case

On Monday, a special court awarded the death penalty to a man who was booked for waging war against the government after he assaulted an Uttar Pradesh armed police force's jawan at the Gorakhnath temple.

Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi, special judge of the ATS court, also imposed a fine of Rs 44,000 on the convicted, Ahmed Murtaza Abbasi. The FIR against Abbasi was lodged on April 4, 2022, at the Gorakhnath police station, based on the complaint from Vinay Kumar Mishra. 

All you need to know about Ahmed Murtaza Abbasi 

In 2015, Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology with a degree in chemical engineering. After that, he worked as a corporate professional in Reliance Industries and Essar Petrochemicals.

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Reports state that Abbasi also worked as an app developer in the past. According to Abbasi's family, he has been facing mental health problems since an early age and has been on medications for it since 2017. Abbasi’s father Mohammad Munir, speaking about his son's mental health trouble earlier, had said that he has had suicidal thoughts in the past.

Based on his family member's claims Abbasi was facing problems in his marital life too because of his disturbed mental health. Eventually, he had to get separated from his wife. Abbasi is a resident of Civil Lines in Gorakhpur.

As for the case, Abbasi had tried to forcibly enter the Gorakhnath temple premises on April 3, 2022, and attacked the security personnel deployed there with a sickle, injuring two Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) constables.

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He was overpowered by the security personnel and subsequently arrested. The investigation was conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).

While being nabbed, he was chanting religious slogans and was found in possession of a book in Urdu. He was said to have been connected with a terror outfit.

The court had earlier convicted him under section 121 (waging or abetting war against the government of India), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of his public functions), 307 (attempt to murder), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) of the Indian Penal Code.

He was also booked for offenses under the Arms Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act.

The court heard his counsel on the quantum of his sentence and awarded him a capital sentence.