Karnataka director general of police Ajai Kumar Singh on Saturday confirmed that the bullet fired from a .32 revolver last Sunday, which hit a devotee at the Art of Living (AoL) Ashram, was aimed at stray dogs and came from the gun of a nearby farm owner. The controversy, which had led to a nation-wide hue and cry over the need to
protect spiritual personalities, could die down with this revelation.
Addressing reporters, Dr Singh said the bullet was shot at a fleeing stray dog, about 1,200 feet from the Ashram’s satsang venue and not at the guru himself. According to him, Mahadev Prasad, a resident of JP Nagar, fired the bullet from his licensed .32 revolver while leaving his farm house, situated opposite the AOL venue.
The incident occurred when Mahadev was driving back to his residence after visiting his farm house. Quoting the farm owner, Dr Singh said he and his family members during their visit, saw a pack of stray dogs near the farm gate. Mahadev Prasad fired at the stray dogs after his pet was bitten by one of them.
The satsang addressed by Sri Sri Ravishankar had ended at AOL at this time with the Guru leaving the venue at exactly 6 pm.
“Vinay, the devotee who was injured, and others were moving towards the ashram entrance. Meanwhile, Mahadev Prasad who was driving back to the city, spotted another stray on reaching the main road exactly opposite AOL. He pulled out his revolver and fired at the dog, which however escaped. The bullet travelled towards AOL and hit Vinay in the leg,” he said.
Explaining how they managed to trace Mahadev, Dr Singh said the investigating team first collected details of all those who had licensed .32 revolvers and lived in the vicinity of the Ashram. “We traced Mahadev who admitted to shooting two rounds the same evening. Ballistic experts confirmed that the bullet which hit Vinay was fired from Mahadev’s revolver” he said.
Reacting to the strange twist the case had taken, a senior officer expressed dismay over Mahadev’s failure to approach the police after the incident which was widely publicised in the media. “He knows quite well that AOL is situated opposite his farm-house. He should have known that the second bullet he fired was in the direction of the Ashram. He had plenty of time to realise that his bullet had hurt the devotee,” he said.