IISc and the Gunmen

Prof. Ganguli, the self-styled professor in my story 'Ur Bangalore', died a natural death that typified his kind of 'breed'. Some of the real established professors are not that lucky.

Last night, science city Bangalore experienced a new style of terrorism that caused concern for President Kalam and the commoner alike. A loner came gathering of academicians busy deliberating in a research conference, spread bullets at random, threw one granade and then escaped in an ambassador car.  One remembered the horrors of Arab-Israeli conflicts! In the Bangalore incident, One senior professor died, several scientists/academicians were injured, and some damage was caused to property.  Had the granade not  misfired, significant damage to the property, and injury to at least 50 people would be a realistic guess. The TOI issue I read read this morning, covered the incident filling two full pages, with several colour photographs, and without any speculations as to the motive or the connections.

Who could have done it? Mr. Goon (in story Ur Bangalore) could not have; Mr. Italian (Ur Bangalore) could have done it, but he usually avoids IIT-IISc-TIFR. Mr. Nataraj (Ur Bangalore) can only create noise with AK 47, he is better at using canes and clubs. At best he might try .303 rifle or a pistol.  Disgrunled CPIM or RSS members could not have done it. Naxals, LTTE  or Lashkars are not that powerful in Bangalore either.The assasign had AK-47, hand granade and a car. The venue for the attack, the Tata Auditorium, is a VIP zone -- populated by best brains of India. In addition to routine securities provided by the IISc, one sees  Police Station in an adjacent building, and the Indian Air Force facilities near by. The attacker came, caused the damage and escaped to safety. 

I remember walking through housing projects in Chicago. Then I lived in homeless shelters near such neighbourhoods. I thanked the Black kids for not shhoting me down with an AK 47. Someone explained to me one-day, that my residence in the White neighborhood, and the homeless shelters run by the Churches are "netral zones", where no gangs had orders to shoot. Apparently, some of my disgruntled students, according to rules, could only throw eggs, not pipe bombs at me (I learned it the hard way while walking past a gathering of the Blacks on Ashland Avenue, Chicago; and I thanked them again for their kindness!)!

The Police would of course sooner or later nab the terrorist(s). One has to remember though, Bangalore being the city of Indian brains, interests all kind of 'professional people' --- RAW, ISI, KGB, CIA, Libyans, Ugandans, Mossad etc..  As there is no near-term solution to the traffic jam in Bangalore, there seems to be no prevention for isolated incidents of terrorism, however cruel and mean might it appear.

SG,
Dec 29, 2005,
BNGALORE.