Attack at ISRO Facility Seems to Be Result of ‘Misunderstanding’: Govt

A day after shootout at sensitive Deep Space Network (DSN) facility of ISRO, the Karnataka government has clarified that it seems to be the result of a ‘misunderstanding’ and should not be given significance, reported IANS.

“It appears to be result of misunderstanding and there is no need to give the incident importance,” state home minister V S Acharya was quoted as saying.

He made the remarks while talking to reporters after briefing chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on the progress of the police investigation into the incident that took place early Tuesday morning.

A Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) guard deployed at facility said that one of the two men who were moving under suspicious circumstances near the facility opened when quizzed, said report.

The guard, identified as Jhadhav, told police that he had retaliated, firing eight rounds but the two managed to escape in the darkness, report said.

Acharya said that senior police officials had visited the spot and talked to Jhadhav and other CISF personnel on duty at the time of the incident, said report.

There is no trace yet of the empty shell of the bullet fired by the unidentified man. Police are also searching for two empty shells of the bullets fired by the CISF guard as only six have been found.

The minister said that government had dispatched a detailed report on the incident to the union home ministry and if necessary, might order an investigation by the elite CoD (Corps of Detectives), report said.

In New Delhi, union home minister P Chidambaram said that the shootout did not appear to be a terror attack.

“There is no threat to ISRO. It is an amateurish attack,” he was quoted as saying.