Security scare at ISRO as constable claims firing

BANGALORE/NEW DELHI: A CISF constable posted at the ISRO complex at Byalalu, near Bangalore, reported firing by two men at the main gate of the facility early on Tuesday, even as the city police raised doubts over his claims saying that no bullet marks or empty cartridges were found at the spot.

According to CISF constable Jhadav, he spotted two unidentified men in khakhi uniform at the ISRO’s Indian Deep Space Network facility’s main gate around 3.20 am on Tuesday. The men fired at him with two small pistols, which he immediately countered with return fire. The two men subsequently escaped. Since the other two CISF personnel on duty were not at the spot during this incident, there is no eyewitness to the attack reported by Jhadav.

No bullet marks were found on the boundary walls nor any empty cartridges found from the spot. Six empty cartridges out of the eight rounds fired by Jadhav have been found. The police are questioning Jhadav and other security personnel deployed at CISF facility.

Given the lack of any eyewitness or evidence to substantiate the firing attack reported by the CISF constable, the police are still investigating whether any firing took place in the first place. “There are no signs of any firing from outside...on the face of it does not appear to be terror attack,” ADGP(law and order) A R Infant told mediapersons in Bangalore. ISRO spokesman S Satish however said an attempt to breach the security at ISRO had been foiled.

In Delhi, the home ministry said it had sought a report from the Karnataka government on the sequence of events. Based on preliminary information, home minister P Chidambaram said: “This seems to be an amateurish attempt made by two men with country-made pistols.”

Even as the veracity of the firing incident is being established, Mr Chidambaram has asked CISF, the force in charge of security at ISRO complex, to do a fresh security review of the area. Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who is away in Shimoga, directed the Bangalore police to be on high alert. He has summoned a meeting of top police officials on Wednesday to review the situation. A report will be sent to the MHA on the incident, he said.