SC blames Yoga Guru Ramdev, cops for Ramlila crackdown

In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Today held Baba Ramdev and Delhi Police guilty of negligence in a case related to midnight crackdown on yoga guru’s followers at the Ramlila Maidan on June 4-5 last year during his anti-corruption agitation.

The apex court, while stressing that the authorities could have avoided the violent incident, said that both Baba Ramdev and the police acted in an irresponsible manner.

“There was abuse of power by the Delhi Police and there was violation of fundamental rights of people,” the apex court bench of justices BS Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar said.

“The incident shows might of the state which strikes at the foundation of democracy. It is a glaring example of trust deficit between people governing and people being governed,” it said.

The Supreme Court also ordered the state authorities to file criminal cases against those responsible for the crackdown on hundreds of innocent supporters.

The court also directed the authorities to give a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family members of Rajbala, the woman who died due to the injury suffered in the police crackdown.

Besides, the court also ordered a compensation of Rs 50,000 for those who sustained serious injuries and Rs 35,000 for those with minor injuries during the incident.

Importantly, the apex court asked the yoga guru to share 25% of the total compensation to be given to the victims.

The apex court had taken suo motu cognisance of media reports purportedly showing brutality of police action against the sleeping followers of Ramdev, including women and children.

Ramdev had alleged the police action was carried out on the instructions of their political masters and demanded action against all people who had directed the mid-night crackdown.

Ramdev was agitating along with his followers against corruption and demanding that the UPA government must make sincere efforts to bring back black money illegally parked in secret foreign bank accounts by tax evaders.

Delhi Police, however, claimed Ramdev had instigated his followers to indulge in violence, forcing the police to act at that time of the night.

Team Anna invites Baba Ramdev for poll campaigning

Team Anna has invited yoga guru Baba Ramdev to campaign along with it in the upcoming Assembly polls in Uttarakhand.

The Uttarakhand Assembly is going to polls on January 30.

Team Anna is campaigning in all poll-bound states against corruption and for a strong Lokpal Bill.

The invitation to Baba Ramdev comes just days after he became the target of an ink attack in New Delhi.

Baba Ramdev has been campaigning against black money for quite some time.

Ramdev’s supporter threw black ink on Sonia's image

Angry over the attack on Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, his followers on Monday threw black ink on Sonia Gandhi's poster outside the Congress headquarters here and clashed with party workers, earning disapproval of the yoga guru who condemned the act as "undemocratic and uncivilised".

Some people under the banner of Yuva Bharat Kisan Panchayat gathered outside the Congress headquarters at 24, Akbar Road to protest the throwing of ink on the yoga guru here two days ago.

They shouted slogans against party chief Sonia Gandhi and leaders Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh and said they will not allow anyone to defame religious leaders. Some of them later threw black ink on a poster with Sonia's image.

The incident occurred at around 4:45 pm.

Soon a clash occurred between the supporters of the Baba and the Congress workers and ticket seekers who were at the Congress. The man who had defaced the poster of the Congress president was badly beaten up. The police then intervened and brought the situation under control.

Following the incident, more police personnel were rushed to the spot which is next to Sonia's residence at 10, Janpath.

Police said Narendra from Kanjhawala and Tribhuwan from Mehrauli were detained in connection with the incident.

A case under Section 153 of IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc) was registered.

Meanwhile, soon after the incident, Ramdev's spokesperson said the yoga guru termed the act as ‘undemocratic and uncivilised’.

"Such undemocratic and uncivilised methods of protest should not be encouraged. Such acts have no place in our rich culture and philosophy," Ramdev was quoted as saying.

"We neither support such undemocratic and uncivilised act nor are part of it," the spokesperson said adding Ramdev was against any kind of violent or indecent methods of protest against anyone and urged people not to indulge in or promote such "indecent and ugly acts."

On January 14 a man had thrown black ink Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s face. The man was nabbed by Ramdev’s supporters and badly beaten up before being handed over to the police. Ramdev was talking about his future moves against corruption and black money at the press conference held at the Constitutional Club in the heart of the capital.

Ramdev's right eye was blackened with ink by the man identified as Kamran Siddiqui, a resident of Delhi who is said to be running an NGO 'Real Cause' which is a petitioner in the Batla House encounter case.

Jaideep, Ramdev's close aide, claimed that Siddiqui had gained entry into the hall carrying a walkie talkie apparently posing as a security personnel. He also claimed that a bottle of acid was recovered from Siddiqui.

Ramdev, who immediately left the venue after the incident, said he had asked for the black money being returned to the country and instead got black ink.

Before the incident, Siddiqui had sought Ramdev's opinion on the 2008 Batla House encounter in which suspects of the Delhi serial blasts were killed.

The yoga guru had ignored the question and soon after the attack took place.

Poonam Pandey twitted for Ramdev ‘Buri Nazar wala’

Known for posting hot and sexy pics on micro blogging website Twitter, Poonam Pandey made fun of yoga guru Baba Ramdev after Kamran Siddiqui, a resident of Delhi who is said to be running an NGO named `Real Cause’, threw black ink on him on Saturday.

On hearing that Baba Ramdev’s face was blackened, Poonam asked her followers on Twitter if the news was true. She wrote, "Black` day for Ramdev: Youth throws ink on yoga guru..... is it true???”

Soon after when it was confirmed that the incident was true, Poonam wrote on her Twitter wall, “Someone must have miss understood the defect in Ramdev Baba`s left eye.. and must have Blackened his face ‘Boori Nazar wale tera Moo Kala’ (sic)” . The saying in Hindi means ‘man with wrong intent faces disgrace’.

Last year in 2011, the wannabe model faced tough competition from porn star Sunny Leone and controversy queen Veena Malik, but with her latest remark on Baba Ramdev, Poonam’s expected to trend big!

Today black ink thrown at Baba Ramdev's face in Delhi

There was ruckus at a press conference organised by Baba Ramdev in New Delhi today after a man threw black ink at the yoga guru. The attack reportedly left his left eye blackened.

The attacker has been identified as Kamran Siddiqui, a resident of Delhi who is said to be running an NGO named 'Real Cause'. He has been detained by police. Following his attempt, the attacker was beaten up by Baba Ramdev's supporters. His aides claim he had gained entry into the hall posing as a security personnel. His supporters have reportedly blamed the Congress for the attack.

At the press conference, the yoga guru was talking to reporters about his plans to campaign against black money holders in the upcoming Assembly elections. The presser was being held at the Constitutional Club in New Delhi, where he was seated along with Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy.

Trying to put up a brave front, the yoga guru said after the attack, "I spoke about bringing back black money to the country and giving it to the nation. I spoke about eradicating corruption. I spoke about turning it from a 'loot-tantra' to a real lok-tantra (democracy). I don't mind receiving black ink. I was also shown black flags. I did not care even then."