Ahmad Murtaza, the IIT-Bombay graduate who was taken into custody on Sunday, 3 April, for attacking police officers and raising religious slogans outside Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhnath temple, was suffering from "anxiety" and "delusional thoughts," said Dr Amit Bhatt whom Murtaza consulted once in 2018.
Speaking to The Quint, Bhatt, a neurologist in Ahmedabad, who treated Murtaza in 2018, said that he had asked the latter to see a psychiatrist due to the issues he was facing.
"This person came to me for treatment once in 2018. We ran some tests on him and found that his case wasn’t a neurological case. So we asked him to see a psychiatrist. I am not aware of what happened after that," Bhatt said.
He further said that Murtaza was suffering from "anxiety and complained of delusion thoughts," adding that he did not come for a follow-up after the first appointment.
Murtaza was taken into custody after he attacked two police officers stationed outside the Gorakhnath temple with a sharp weapon while raising religious slogans, the police said.
Gorakhnath temple is the headquarters of the Gorakhnath mutt, of which Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the head priest.
Who is Ahmad Murtaza?
Murtaza comes from an influential family in Gorakhpur. His grandfather retired as a district judge, while his uncle is a prominent doctor in the city.
He graduated from IIT Bombay in 2015, following which he worked for Reliance petrochemicals in Maharashtra's Nagothane, as per Murtaza's father Muneer Ahmed. His family also claimed that Murtaza quit his job and started his independent work as an app developer, but that didn't take off.
As per his family, Murtaza started having mental health issues in 2017, and had been under observation at several places.
Murtaza got married in 2019 in Varanasi but the couple parted ways six months later.
"He is not mentally stable. Since childhood, he (has been) suffering from depression. Due to some developments, he believed that police was after him," Murtaza's father told ANI.
He added that the attack in Gorakhpur was not pre-planned by his son, and that he executed it due to mental disturbances.
In a latest development, Murtaza's house in Gorakhpur has been cordoned off by the police, and media is not allowed to speak to the family.
In a purported video of the incident, Murtaza could be seen hurling a sharp-edged weapon and trying to attack police officers, while constables and civilians could be seen pelting stones and bricks at him in an attempt to overpower him.
The UP government said on Monday that the attack was a part of a serious conspiracy, and labelled it a "terrorist incident".
The accused has been charged by the UP Police with attempt to murder and promoting enmity on the grounds of religion.
(With inputs from ANI)
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