The Art of Living Foundation on Wednesday expressed "displeasure" over what it described as "hasty and damaging" statement of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Sunday's shooting incident at its ashram in Bangalore, over which conflicting versions have emerged.
"Without any basis, one cannot jump to conclusions that there are conflicting groups or there was a brawl. Such a statement from a person holding such a responsible position was unwarranted," the Foundation said.
"This has hurt the sentiments of millions of followers," Ashram Administrator Narendra Lamba said in a statement here, three days after an unidentified gunman fired a shot at the convoy of the 54-year-old AOL founder Sri Sri Ravishankar, who had escaped unhurt.
"We express our displeasure over the hasty and damaging statement of Honourable Union Home Minister P Chidambaram," Lamba said.
Chidambaram had stated that Ravishankar "may not" have been the target and the incident could be the result of a dispute between two of his disciples.
Ravishankar had said that the incident "cannot be brushed off as some personal enmity and I am very hurt at such reports."
{{/usCountry}}Ravishankar had said that the incident "cannot be brushed off as some personal enmity and I am very hurt at such reports."
{{/usCountry}}Karnataka police had described it as an 'incident' and not an attack, over which the spiritual guru had expressed his displeasure saying the police cannot absolve itself of its responsibility by taking it lightly and it has to be investigated properly".