One bullet, many theories, no breakthrough
Source: TOI
BANGALORE: A single gunshot fired by an unknown assailant for reasons unknown within the Art of Living campus, 30 km from Bangalore, on Sunday night, has left behind it a gigantic, unsolved muddle. While the police downplayed the firing as an 'incident', ashram inmates and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar himself said it could be the handiwork of Naxals. Union home minister P Chidambaram took the police line, saying it did not look like an attempt on the life of the guru; rather, it seemed a feud between two of his devotees.
Ravi Shankar did not sound very satisfied that an act of violence was dismissed by the police as an incident, or even that the police thought he wasn't the target. "What's the difference between an attack and an incident? There may be a communication gap between the police and the injured devotee. But the IGP was not here when the incident took place. And we were here. One can't shirk responsibility by saying such things. The police are free to express their views, but a thorough investigation is must."
Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who called on the guru Monday evening, has announced a probe. He also assured Sri Sri that his government would ensure that such incidents did not recur. However, even as BJP chief Nitin Gadkari expressed concern, Karnataka home minister V S Acharya insisted it wasn't a direct attack on Sri Sri. He thought the incident was being blown out of proportion by the media. "Frankly, it's not the government but the media that seems determined to make an event out of a non-event," he said.
This is something Ravi Shankar's followers would differ with because they believe Naxal groups could be targeting Art of Living because the guru has been active in reforming them. Saying he wasn't sure if he was the target, Sri Sri said he could not brush aside the possibility of Naxal involvement, adding, "It might have been aimed to shock or spread panic."
The ashram's administrative officer Narendra Lamba apprehended some kind of terror activity. "Guruji has tried to reform the Naxals. Hundreds of them came to the ashram and surrendered. Some Naxal groups may have considered this a threat. It may not be an attack, but an attempt to create panic," Lamba said.
The police, on their part, stuck to their premise that it wasn't an attempt on his life. DG & IGP Ajai Kumar Singh said that there was a gap of five minutes between the devotee being shot at and the Guruji leaving the venue. "As per our information, Guruji's convoy left the place five minutes earlier and Vinay, who was standing nearby, got shot in his leg," he said. Singh said the bullet was fired from a .32 mm rifle from a distance of about 750 feet and landed about 2.5 feet above the ground.
"Although the incident took place around 6.15 pm, the police were informed about it only after 9 pm. This delay has been a hindrance to the investigation. Nevertheless, investigation is on," he said. Sri Sri gets Y security and Singh said the police would review it. "We'll take a call if Guruji's security must be upgraded," he said.
But Ravi Shankar isn't keen on this. On Monday, he said he was not for ramping up his cover to Z. "I am frequently abroad. But when I am in India, I want to be among the people. Security may come in the way," he said.
BANGALORE: A single gunshot fired by an unknown assailant for reasons unknown within the Art of Living campus, 30 km from Bangalore, on Sunday night, has left behind it a gigantic, unsolved muddle. While the police downplayed the firing as an 'incident', ashram inmates and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar himself said it could be the handiwork of Naxals. Union home minister P Chidambaram took the police line, saying it did not look like an attempt on the life of the guru; rather, it seemed a feud between two of his devotees.
Ravi Shankar did not sound very satisfied that an act of violence was dismissed by the police as an incident, or even that the police thought he wasn't the target. "What's the difference between an attack and an incident? There may be a communication gap between the police and the injured devotee. But the IGP was not here when the incident took place. And we were here. One can't shirk responsibility by saying such things. The police are free to express their views, but a thorough investigation is must."
Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who called on the guru Monday evening, has announced a probe. He also assured Sri Sri that his government would ensure that such incidents did not recur. However, even as BJP chief Nitin Gadkari expressed concern, Karnataka home minister V S Acharya insisted it wasn't a direct attack on Sri Sri. He thought the incident was being blown out of proportion by the media. "Frankly, it's not the government but the media that seems determined to make an event out of a non-event," he said.
This is something Ravi Shankar's followers would differ with because they believe Naxal groups could be targeting Art of Living because the guru has been active in reforming them. Saying he wasn't sure if he was the target, Sri Sri said he could not brush aside the possibility of Naxal involvement, adding, "It might have been aimed to shock or spread panic."
The ashram's administrative officer Narendra Lamba apprehended some kind of terror activity. "Guruji has tried to reform the Naxals. Hundreds of them came to the ashram and surrendered. Some Naxal groups may have considered this a threat. It may not be an attack, but an attempt to create panic," Lamba said.
The police, on their part, stuck to their premise that it wasn't an attempt on his life. DG & IGP Ajai Kumar Singh said that there was a gap of five minutes between the devotee being shot at and the Guruji leaving the venue. "As per our information, Guruji's convoy left the place five minutes earlier and Vinay, who was standing nearby, got shot in his leg," he said. Singh said the bullet was fired from a .32 mm rifle from a distance of about 750 feet and landed about 2.5 feet above the ground.
"Although the incident took place around 6.15 pm, the police were informed about it only after 9 pm. This delay has been a hindrance to the investigation. Nevertheless, investigation is on," he said. Sri Sri gets Y security and Singh said the police would review it. "We'll take a call if Guruji's security must be upgraded," he said.
But Ravi Shankar isn't keen on this. On Monday, he said he was not for ramping up his cover to Z. "I am frequently abroad. But when I am in India, I want to be among the people. Security may come in the way," he said.
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