Ravi Shankar may not have been the target of shooting: Chidambaram

Home minister P Chidambaram today said spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar "may not" have been the target of firing at his convoy last night and the incident could be the result of a dispute between two of his disciples.

"Our reports says that the incident took place after Sri Sri Ravishankar left the place in his car and, therefore, it may not be correct, I underline, may not be correct to say that the firing was aimed at him," Chidambaram said during his press conference here.

The home minister said an oral report has been received on the incident but a written report is expected.

"It seems to be a dispute or a brawl between two of his followers. One of them has been injured in his thigh but is not in danger," he said.

An unidentified person fired a round at the convoy when 54-year-old Ravishankar was leaving after a 'satsang' in his
ashram last evening. The injured devotee was discharged after
first aid at a local hospital, police said.

Earlier, Karnataka director general of police also termed it as an "incident" and said it was not a "targeted attack" on the spiritual leader.

The security of Ravishankar, the founder of Art of Living (AOL), has been beefed up, they said.

"I do not call it an attack. It is an incident. Whether it was meant at a person or not, we cannot say at the moment", DGP Ajaikumar Singh, who visited the ashram, told reporters in Bangalore.

Giving details about the firing, Singh said the bullet was fired from about 700 to 750 feet away and so far nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack.

He said the ammunition found at the site is .32 mm and it is a versatile one that could be used for a variety of weapons, he said.

The incident of firing occurred between 6.05 pm and 6.10 pm and at least five minutes after Ravishankar's convoy had left the spot, Singh said.