Bangalore, December 29
Karnataka Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh today said that the indiscriminate firing on scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) here last night appeared to be handiwork of the Lashkar-e-Toiba even as he claimed that sensitive sites had been identified and were being given appropriate security cover.
The Chief Minister said the use of sophisticated firearms, including an AK-56 automatic rifle which has been recovered from the spot, besides hand grenades indicated that the attack was the handiwork of terrorists.
Besides the rifle, three grenades, one used hand grenade which did not explode, three magazines with 50 rounds, an empty magazine and a partially empty magazine have been recovered from the spot.
Mr Dharam Singh also claimed that some clues had been recovered following the shooting which left one dead and four injured but that they were still being worked upon.
He said the police had also come to the conclusion that a lone intruder could not have been responsible for the attack. “It appears three persons were involved in the attack,” he said.
Meanwhile, how the attackers escaped from the spot is still being verified. According to City Commissioner Ajai Kumar Singh there is no proof that a white Ambassador car was used by the assailants to escape from the institute.
He said no car had been reported stolen or abandoned in the city since last night. He, however, said it could be concluded that the assailants came by a vehicle up to a certain point.
According to sources, eyewitnesses have told the police that the assailant who fired at the scientists first ran behind the Cadilla laboratory but when he ran into a deadend, he took a U-turn to the other side and then disappeared in the darkness.
If this is to be believed, the assailant could have scaled a wall to make his escape. Some people have, however, claimed that the assailant escaped in an Ambassador.
The police, however, is sure of two assailants being involved in the attack as the eyewitnesses have given descriptions of two different men.
Meanwhile, the DGP, Mr B.S. Sial, denied assertions that the police did not act on intelligence about likely terrorist strikes which had been provided to it. Mr Sial claimed that though general information about a terrorist strike had been received and action taken upon it, no specific information about a likely strike at the IISc had been provided.
He said security to IT companies which had been increased earlier had been beefed up. “We will also review the security arrangements of major institutions and companies”, he said. The DGP said defence establishments, including the ISRO, had already been put on high security alert.
He said mobile patrolling had been increased and more security personnel had been deployed on arterial roads.
The Chief Minister visited all four injured who are presently admitted to two hospitals in the city.
All of them are out of danger. Prof Vijay Chandru who received two bullet injuries underwent surgery today.
