Gorakhnath temple attack: NRI Coastal police summon maulana from Seawoods

The NRI Coastal police summoned a Maulana from the madrasaa inside the Taj Heights building in Seawoods in Nerul on Thursday and recorded his statement. Police said that the maulana was staying in the madrassa for the past one year. The initial investigation revealed that the madrassa was being run illegally.

Ravindra Patil, senior police inspector from NRI Coastal Police said that the maulana was summoned on Thursday at the police station. “We have recorded his statement. He has been staying in the madrassa for the past one year,” said Patil.

He added that there was another maulana who had spent around years at this madrassa.

The Gorakhnath temple attack accused Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi was earlier staying at one of the flats in the Taj Heights building at sector 50E in Seawoods and he had alleged link with the maulana.

Police said that the family was earlier residing in Millennium Tower in Sanpada and later they sold the flat and bought at Taj Eights in 2013. However, the family moved to Gorakhpur in 2020.

According to police, the ATS had recorded the statement of neighbours and close contacts of Abbasi. The police came to know about a small mosque and a madrassa during the investigation. While the police had asked NMMC to check whether the madrassa was legal or not, the initial investigation found it was being run illegally. Patil said that normally a madrasaa does not run inside a flat.

Police said that the resident informed them Abbasi was spending time in the madrassa and he was not very interactive with other residents.

Abbasi, an unemployed IIT-B chemical engineering graduate, had attacked the PAC personnel deployed at the main gate of Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur on April 3. Two police officials had also sustained injury following his attack. Gorakhnath Temple is the headquarters of the Gorakhnath mutt, of which Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the head priest.