Kidnap-P.M. plan given
<N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, Nov. 26. An Ananda Marga leader said in Wellington tonight that he had been asked to kidnap the Prime Minister (Mr Rowling). The group’s acting president, Mr Steve Radich, claimed the request had been made by another Ananda Marga leader who at the time was being held in Mount Crawford Prison awaiting trial on a charge of conspiracy to commit arson. Mr Radich, who prefers to be known by his spiritual name of Bharata, said that the suggestion had been that he would use a gun to kidnap the Prime Minister and take him to a television station. The suggestion was that Mr Radich would then force people there to let him make a statement on screen, highlighting the persecution of the movement’s leader and of the Indian people in general. Mr Radich said that he had made it plain immediately that he would have nothing to do with the idea.
The request had been made about two months ago, but beyond telling his wife about it, he had kept the matter secret until tonight, Mr Radich said.
It had never been suggested that Mr Rowling would be harmed. “Our movement is totally opposed to violence,” he said.
If a person were so impassioned, it might be that blowing up a building as a means of protest could be entertained. But no group member would do anything to harm a person physically.
He did not believe there were any members of the group in New Zealand not
already in prison who would break the law. Mr Radich said that he had not previously connected the request made to him with the heavy police guard now surrounding Mr Rowling, but he now realised that it was possible a similar request might have been made to some other person from the prison.
That could be one of the reasons for the added police interest, he said.
Mr Radich said that his belated disclosure of the threat was not merely a trick to gain publicity for the movement.
“We’ve already had more publicity than we want. We certainly do not want any more,” he added.
Kidnap-P.M. plan given
Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34011, 27 November 1975, Page 1
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