Bangalore, Jan 19

Two days after police overpowered a youth who pulled out an airpistol during a spiritual congregation in his Whitefield ashram, godman Satya Sai Baba spurned reports that it was an attempt to kill him and ridiculed the media for 'spreading matters far from truth.'

"Why should they (media) spread lies? The pistol possessed by the man may be meant to kill birds. But the media tried to make a mountain out of a molehill," he told a gathering at the first anniversary of the Sri Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences.

"The fact is that no one came close to me as reported. It is nothing but a blatant lie. It is a matter of shame to spread falsehood," he said.

Recalling his activities on January 17 when the incident took place, he said: "I went around the audience, gave darshan and sat on the dais for over 45 minutes. Nothing happened. I later visited my super-speciality hospital and by the time I returned to the ashram, a gossip about an attempt to attack me had spread.

"That night I kept on receiving numerous calls even from people and organisations abroad about my well-being," Sai Baba said.