IS rebuffs Ravi Shankar

Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said on Thursday that he tried to open a dialogue with the Islamic State group but it rebuffed him by sending him a photograph of a beheaded man.

"I tried to initiate peace talks with the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) recently but they sent me a photograph of a beheaded body of a man. Thus, my effort for a peace dialogue with the ISIS ended," he said.

"I think the ISIS does not want any peace talks," he told the media here. "Hence, they should be dealt with militarily."

Ravi Shankar left here on Thursday for Kolkata after a three-day visit to Tripura.

Holding a series of meetings across the state, he stressed on the need to bring peace to India's northeastern region.

Ravi Shankar urged the militant outfits of the region to hold peace talks with the government.

The 59-year-old said his aim was to unite all cultures, religions, faith and ideologies.

He said the National Greet Tribunal's decision to fine the Art of Living Foundation Rs.5 crore for allegedly causing environmental damage to the Yamuna flood plains in Delhi "was politically motivated".

--IANS

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