Police report says Mata's assailant was a regular visitor to her Math

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http://www.hindu.com/2005/08/26/stories/2005082607000500.htm

 

Police report says Mata's assailant was a regular

visitor to her Math

 

Ignatius Pereira

 

Pavithran, a good bhajan singer, has been a devotee of

the Mata for 14 years

 

 

KOLLAM: A report submitted by the Kollam police to the

higher authorities on the alleged attempt on the life

of Mata Amritanandamayi on Sunday says that the

alleged assailant ``Pavithran is a regular annual

visitor to the Math during the months of August and

September''. He arrived at the Math on Saturday night

for participating in a bhajan session led by the Mata,

and ``investigations show that he is a fine bhajan

singer,'' the report says. Following the ``incident,''

the Math had issued a statement on Monday saying that

Pavithran (47) was a stranger to the Math. The Math

had denied press reports that Pavithran was an inmate

of the Math. ``Those living in the Math have never

seen him on its premises,'' the statement added.

 

The police report says that Pavithran, a rubber tapper

residing at Venmony in the Kanjikuzhy police station

limits in Idukki district, has been a strong devotee

of the Mata for the past 14 years. On Sunday he

whipped out a ``budding knife'' when stopped by three

permanent inmates of the Math from rushing to the

stage (where the Mata was leading the bhajan session)

through the ramp.

 

The report says that he is in the habit of carrying

the budding knife following an incident in 1984 when

he had to stab six Kerala Congress activists who

attacked his father, Madhavan, over the issue of a

ration shop at Venmony. The Kanjikuzhi police arrested

him and registered a case. He was convicted in the

case but later released under the Probation Offenders

Act. He then went to the High Court and got the

conviction set aside.

 

The report says that soon afterwards, he joined the

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at a branch at

Peringodu in Palakkad district and regularly attended

it. He joined the Peringodu branch because he worked

as a rubber tapper at a Peringodu estate. The report

says that he is under the treatment of a

neuro-psychiatrist.