Ghaziabad: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the police to take “strict action” and ensure the assailants who attacked social media influencer Saleem Wastik are arrested at the earliest.
The UP information department said in a statement on Saturday that the CM had stated that “there is no place in the state for those who spread terror or attempt to disrupt law and order.”
Wastik was critically injured after two unidentified men barged into his house in Ghaziabad’s Ali Garden, stabbed him multiple times, and fled on their motorcycle early Friday morning, police said, adding that they were yet to make an arrest.
50-year-old Wastik is known for sharing his religious views on YouTube. The information department added that police suspect the attack might have stemmed from personal enmity or ideological differences, while other angles were also being investigated.
Wastik’s son, Usman Ahmad, told HT on Saturday: “My father is in a critical condition and is currently on ventilator support in Delhi’s GTB Hospital. Doctors performed surgery on him, but his severe throat injury remains our biggest worry. We have told the doctors that they can refer him to a higher healthcare facility, if needed. Our focus is on my father’s health. It is up to the police to trace and arrest the criminals.”
Usman filed a police complaint on Friday, and an FIR under sections 109(1) (attempt to murder) and 3(5) (acts done with common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Loni police station.
The FIR named five persons — including a functionary of a political party, a builder, and several local politicians — and two unidentified bikers.
Local residents told HT that the two bikers were wearing kurta pajamas and helmets.
“They had a healthy build, and stayed in Wastik’s office-residence for about 10 minutes and came out with stains on their clothes. It was later we realised that it was blood and not some colour. We rushed to Wastik’s office and saw him lying in a pool of blood. He had severe injuries to his throat and abdomen. Police were immediately informed,” said a local resident who wished not to be named.
Another resident, Abdullah, said the locals took Wastik to a hospital in Delhi.
Meanwhile, police said efforts to identify the suspects were underway. “We are in constant touch with the doctors at GTB Hospital. We have been told that Wastik may be referred to a higher facility, if needed. Our teams are working round-the-clock to trace the bikers. We are using local intelligence, electronic surveillance, and CCTVs footage from the area to identify them,” Siddharth Gautam, ACP of Loni circle, told HT.
Meanwhile, the information department added: “Ten special teams have been constituted to ensure the arrest of the accused, and separate responsibilities have been assigned to each team. On the previous night, police conducted intensive raids at four locations, including two in Delhi and two in Ghaziabad. During the raids, certain important clues were obtained, on the basis of which further action has been intensified.”