UP's KP Maurya, Akhilesh Yadav Trade Barbs Over Gorakhpur Temple Attack

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Thursday accused the Samajwadi Party of downplaying the recent attack at a temple premises and alleged that its chief Akhilesh Yadav was practising politics of "Muslim appeasement".

Mr Maurya's allegation against Mr Yadav comes a day after he said that the attacker had "psychiatric problems and bipolar issues" and that the BJP was giving it "undue importance" and making a "mountain out of a molehill".

"Whether the Gorakhnath temple attacker is a terrorist or a criminal will be decided by the investigating team on the basis of investigation and facts. But the politics of Muslim appeasement has made Akhilesh Yadav's statement a mockery of the public security. The SP will not decide who a terrorist or a criminal is," Mr Maurya said in a Hindi tweet.

He also used hashtag "#sapa_matlab_apradh_atank_ka_sath" (SP means standing with crime and terrorism) with his tweet to corner the SP chief.

Late on Sunday night, 30-year-old IIT graduate named Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi had tried to enter the Gorakhnath temple and when security personnel tried to stop him, he attacked them with a sickle, injuring two constables.

The case is currently being investigated by the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh Police. Investigators suspect that Abbasi was self-radicalised.

Gorakhnath temple premises also house the residence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is the head priest of the temple. He was not at the premises at the time of the attack.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)