“Private security guards have been deployed at all the six gates. We have asked the guards to check visitors thoroughly,” said an Ashram inmate. The VIP rush to the Ashram in the aftermath of the shooting has abated but police officers are continuing to camp inside the premises. On Tuesday, police admitted that there was no breakthrough so far.
“We won’t say that our investigation has hit the dead end as we are flooded with information. But we have to check how far these bits of information are correct, reliable and has the potential to lead us to the guilty,” said a top police officer involved in the investigation. The security staff of the Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and his Ashram are being questioned by the police with regard to Sunday’s firing incident.
Staff, devotees checked
According to sources, movement of the security staff and details of devotees who visited the Ashram on Sunday are being checked. Further, the police are also looking into the footage of the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras installed in the Ashram.
In the aftermath of the incident, the police beefed up security of Ravi Shankar and the Ashram. Now, a special police squad is providing round-the-clock protection. Apart from an Inspector, four Sub Inspectors and 20 constables, two battalions of the District Armed Reserve (DAR) and a battalion of the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) have been assigned the task.
Further, a separate team, headed by the Ramanagara Deputy Superintendent of Police Devaraj, has been formed to probe the incident, sources added. The team comprises two inspectors, four sub inspectors and ten constables.
“It’s impossible to question the thousands of devotees who visited the Ashram on Sunday. We still don’t have complete information about the incident. A comprehensive probe will need time,” Kamal Panth, IGP (Central Range), told reporters. The Ashram was back in business. On Tuesday followers of Ravi Shankar meditated at the Meditation Hall in the presence of Ravi Shankar.