2005 Indian Institute of Science shooting
Encyclopedia
The December 2005 IISc shooting occurred on Wednesday, 28 December 2005 at the Indian Institute of Science
(IISc) in the India
n city of Bangalore
, killing Prof. Munish Chandra Puri
of IIT Delhi and injuring four, after two or more unidentified gunmen fired at Puri and others. The state government of Karnataka
declared the shooting to be a terrorist attack, making it the first such attack in Bangalore.
car. At around 7:20 p.m., delegates attending the International Conference On Operations Research
Applications in Infrastructure Development, organised by the Operations Research Society of India at the JN Tata Auditorium on the IISc campus, were heading to dinner when the shooting began. Two gunmen, wearing black masks and army uniforms, started firing indiscriminately from a rifle, thought to be a Chinese Type 56, outside the auditorium.
, a Professor Emeritus at the Mathematics Department of the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi
, was wounded by bullets. He died en route to a hospital. Three other scientists and a lab assistant were among the injured. One of the injured was a pregnant woman, who sustained injuries to her eye. The other three injured had serious bullet injuries and underwent emergency surgeries.
-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT). But the police discounted suggestions that the attack was linked to the arrival in the city of notorious gangster Abu Salem
, who was in Bangalore for a narcoanalysis.
and other South India
n states to go on "high alert." Security at other premier institutions in India including the IIMs and IITs has been enhanced.
Police later arrested a number of suspects of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian origins. No specific connection to any terror group has been found, but police continue to suspect that it was the work of a radical Islamist group.
Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
(IISc) in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n city of Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, killing Prof. Munish Chandra Puri
Munish Chandra Puri
Munish Chander Puri was Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at IIT Delhi. He was Organizing Chair, Asia Pacific Operational Research Societies . He was killed in Bangalore in the 2005 Indian Institute of Science shooting....
of IIT Delhi and injuring four, after two or more unidentified gunmen fired at Puri and others. The state government of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
declared the shooting to be a terrorist attack, making it the first such attack in Bangalore.
Shooting
At around 7:00 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. GMT), two people entered the IISc campus in a white AmbassadorHindustan Ambassador
The Hindustan Ambassador is a car manufactured by Hindustan Motors of India. It has been in production since 1958 with few modifications or changes and is based on the Morris Oxford III model, first made by the Morris Motor Company at Cowley, Oxford in the United Kingdom from 1956 to 1959.Despite...
car. At around 7:20 p.m., delegates attending the International Conference On Operations Research
Operations research
Operations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
Applications in Infrastructure Development, organised by the Operations Research Society of India at the JN Tata Auditorium on the IISc campus, were heading to dinner when the shooting began. Two gunmen, wearing black masks and army uniforms, started firing indiscriminately from a rifle, thought to be a Chinese Type 56, outside the auditorium.
Victims
Munish Chandra PuriMunish Chandra Puri
Munish Chander Puri was Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at IIT Delhi. He was Organizing Chair, Asia Pacific Operational Research Societies . He was killed in Bangalore in the 2005 Indian Institute of Science shooting....
, a Professor Emeritus at the Mathematics Department of the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, was wounded by bullets. He died en route to a hospital. Three other scientists and a lab assistant were among the injured. One of the injured was a pregnant woman, who sustained injuries to her eye. The other three injured had serious bullet injuries and underwent emergency surgeries.
Investigation
The police later recovered a Chinese made Type 56 military rifle, twelve empty cartridges, one empty magazine, five live magazines (one half-spent), two grenades, and one live hand-grenade (Chinese made), which they defused. The police surmise that the gunmen had escaped by scaling the boundary wall of the campus. Although no organisation has yet claimed responsibility, the police have not ruled out the involvement of the PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba – also transliterated as Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Lashkar Taiba or LeT – is one of the largest and most active militant Islamist terrorist organizations in South Asia, operating mainly from Pakistan.It was founded by Hafiz Muhammad...
(LeT). But the police discounted suggestions that the attack was linked to the arrival in the city of notorious gangster Abu Salem
Abu Salem
Abu Salem is an underworld don originally from Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, India. He is convicted for the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case and killing of India's music baron Gulshan Kumar in 1997. He has unsuccessfully attempted to kill Bollywood film directors Rajiv Rai and Rakesh Roshan....
, who was in Bangalore for a narcoanalysis.
Aftermath
Besides a nationwide hunt for the attacker, the incident also prompted the police in KarnatakaKarnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
and other South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
n states to go on "high alert." Security at other premier institutions in India including the IIMs and IITs has been enhanced.
Police later arrested a number of suspects of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian origins. No specific connection to any terror group has been found, but police continue to suspect that it was the work of a radical Islamist group.