SC quizzes Delhi police on action against Ramdev

The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Delhi police for the midnight crackdown on yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his followers at the Ramlila ground on 4 June and sought an explanation on what provoked it to use teargas on people who were sleeping.

Seeking video footage of the police action on Ramdev's supporters, the apex court asked the Delhi police why it had not registered FIRs against its officials on the basis of complaints of the followers of the yoga guru.

Senior advocate and former law minister Ram Jethmalani, appearing on behalf of Ramdev, urged the court to seek a personal explanation from P Chidambaram, the union home minister, for the action against Ramdev's followers. The court said it would consider his plea after getting a reply from the Delhi police at the next hearing on July 25.

According to Jethmalani, Ramdev chose not to go to Jantar Mantar – where social activist Anna Hazare had earlier held a fast against corruption – but had decided to stay at the Ramlila Maidan along with his followers, to protest against rising corruption.

The Delhi police swooped down on the yoga guru's followers around midnight when many of them were sleeping, using teargas and water cannons to disperse them. Ramdev escaped from the site after dressing up as a woman, and appeared the next day in Hardwar.

The police argued that Ramdev had taken permission to hold a yoga camp and not to hold a mass rally against corruption. Its counsel argued that teargas was used only after his followers turned violent and resisted the eviction from the grounds.