India's Science Institute Attacked By Suspected TerroristsIndia's Science Institute Attacked By Suspected Terrorists

BANGALORE, India — A professor was killed and four others were wounded at a science conference in India on Wednesday (Dec. 28) by a gunman with possible ties to a terrorist group, according to police.

Police said the gunman sprayed automatic gunfire during a conference at the Indian Institute of Science, based in the southern Indian city of Bangalore. Professor M.C. Puri from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, was killed in the attack, according to police.

Several others were seriously hurt, including Vijay Chandru, founder of the Indian-developed palm-computer, the Simputer, according to a report from the BBC News service.

The Indian Institute of Science is a leading postgraduate college in India's technology hub of Bangalore.

The incident occurred Wednesday evening when delegates were leaving after a seminar at the institute, where among others, K. Kasturirangan, chairman of India’s Space Research Organization, were present.

According to the BBC, the assailants approached the delegation in an Ambassador car. One of them got out and fired randomly outside an auditorium door and then the car sped off, according to the report.

It is too early to be certain if terrorists are behind the attack. But some suspect the attack was carried out by the Lashkar-e-Toiba group, reportedly one of the largest terrorist outfits operating in Pakistan. The group is also suspected of involvement in the attack on India’s Parliament in New Delhi in 2001.