- Anil Narendra
The way Baba Ramdev and his supporters were rounded up on Saturday night by Delhi Police, has become talk of the town. This episode has grabbed the electronic and print media. General public has reacted in two ways on the happenings of Saturday. There is a section, which says that Baba deserved the treatment he met. Baba had crossed all the limits. He had earned the ire of the government by announcing to continue his movement even after reaching an agreement with the government. Some say that Baba has sought permission for a yoga camp from Delhi Police and he had never mentioned about fast and agitation and had mentioned the number of supporters as 3,000 and also assured the gathering at Ram Lila Maidan will not cross this figure. Still, not only fast and non-violent agitation were organized, but his disciples in thousands gathered at Ram Lila Maidan. As such, the administration had the right to take necessary action. As far as the reaction of Manmohan government and Congress Party is concerned, the remarks by the Party General Secretary, Digvijay Singh were sufficient to gauge their mood. Targeting Baba Ramdev from the very beginning, Digvijay Singh has called him a thug (a swindler) and has demanded an enquiry into his activities. Justifying government action, he said that Baba met the same fate as that of a swindler. Digvijay said that after coming to Delhi, Baba Ramdev took shelter at Kushal Bagh Ashram of Swami Shakar Dev, but later, he abandoned him. Then, he duped the Yoga teacher, Baba Karamvir too. Digviajay said that Swami Shankar Dev is missing since July 2007 and no information on his whereabout is available. He further said that Baba Ramdev has duped his followers and the public by claiming to treat diseases like cancer without any authority. Perhaps, he wanted to cheat the government like he cheated public. These are the views and arguments of those, who justify the action taken by the Police on Saturday night.
Then, there is a majority of the people, which considers this to be the gravest mistake of the government, for which it should not be pardoned. I do not hesitate to say that government has failed to handle this Baba episode properly. The first mistake was that government should have not permitted Baba to start his fast. Under prevailing in Delhi laws, Ram Lila Maidan is prohibited for use for political activities. Bharat Swabhiman Manch and Patanjali Yoga Committee had asked for permission for a Yoga Camp and sit-in (dharna). Government could have very well said that we can permit yoga camp, but we will not permit sit-in at Ram Lila Maidan. The application for permission mentioned the number of supporters to be three thousand, but the intelligence agencies had clearly told the government that much more than three thousand people would gather at the Maidan. Second mistake, rather blunder, was that four ministers of government of India including number two in the cabinet, Pranab Mukherjee went to the airport to receive Baba Ramdev on his arrival in Delhi. Why? Why Baba was allowed to step out of the airport? It is learnt that a special BSF aircraft was ready to take him back to Haridwar. Driving away of Baba supporters from Ram Lila Maidan at dead of night on Saturday at 01.00 AM, who were sleeping in the Maidan and which included women, children and elderly persons was the third biggest stupidity of the government. Even the Supreme Court of India was startled by the savagery shown by the Delhi Police, which, taking cognizance of the matter, issued notices to the Central government and Delhi administration and asked them to reply within two weeks’ time. The Police brutality on Saturday night at Ram Lila Maidan was such frightening that mere mention of it makes one shiver. More than a hundred persons were injured in this brutal show of power by the Police, condition of many of whom is still said to be critical. The Police used all types of fair and foul means to stop Baba’s agitation. Agitators say that the Police not only used violence to drive away people from the Pandal, but it set fire to the stage. The teargas shells fired by the Police caused fire to the stage. The raging fire led to confusion, but thank God, it did not convert into second Dabwali. Hundreds of persons could have lost their lives. Dozens of children, women and elderly persons could have been crushed to death in the stampede caused by the lathi charge by the Police on these sleeping people. The experience narrated by the victims could make anybody angry. The agitators say that they had read about Jalianwala Bagh massacre in books, but they had first hand experience of that fateful incident on Saturday night. There are number of women among the agitators, victims of Police lathicharge, with whom the Police crossed all the limits of indecency and cruelty. The supporters of Baba Ramdev fled out of the Maidan to escape Police brutality, but after coming out they felt that they don’t even have proper clothes to wear nor money to reach their homes. Whatever they had, was left in the Ram Lila Maidan in the confusion. But where to go in such a state? Some headed for ITO or Connaught Place, while some left for Railway Station. A few of the women walked in the dead of night under the Ranjit Singh flyover to reach Arya Anathalaya, Barakhambha Road to take shelter. Shri Viresh Pratap Chowdhary runs this orphanage and Baba is a regular visitor here. A group of hundreds of disillusioned Baba supporters headed for Bangala Sahib and Rakabganj Gurudwaras. They didn’t have enough money, so they left on foot for Gurrudwaras to take shelter there. Seeing the plight of these devotees, victim of Police atrocities, Sewadars in the Gurudwaras, not only arranged for their stay immediately, but invited these agitators, who had been on fasting for 24 hours for lungar. There were number of devotees who expressed gratitude for shelter, but refused to take food saying that they will only break their fast only on Babaji’s directions. There were others, who took food after repeated requests by the Sewadars. According to Menakshi Shukla from Mahoba (UP) in Bangala Sahib Gurudwara, the way the Police drove them away from Ram Lila Maidan, made them feel that they were being uprooted from their homes. Now, I do not have clothes to wear and money to return to my home.
It is also startling to know that a number of persons are still missing. According to an eye witness, Police brought some blue line buses and many persons were taken by these buses out of Ram Lila Maidan. Family members of such persons are wandering from hospitals to dharmshalas and to places nearby the agitation site in search of their relatives. Weeping Shailendra Kumar, who with a batch of about 100 perosns came from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand to participate in Baba Ramdev’s agitation told that three women from his batch are missing since night. 53-year Kamla Bhagt, 50-year Renuka and Susheela Manjhi are missing. What is unfortunate that none of the Central Ministers has visited the victims of the Police atrocities. I think that the government has lost the winning game. The Police action has put the government in the dock not only in India, but before the world also. Even people in US are condemning the Police atrocities of Ram Lila Maidan. Baba has become hero overnight. I fail to understand, what difference could it make if Baba had breached the promise and announced to continue the agitation? What was the urgency that the government resorted to lathi charge on sleeping elderly persons, children and women at one in the night? The important question is, what effect will this episode have on people? Will the people of India not say that this government is oppressive, corrupt and is patronizing the corrupt? This reminds me of Jarnail Singh Bhindarawale. The government, at first promoted him and then did the operation Blue Star. History is repeating itself. Whatever remains, leaders like Digvijay Singh are making for it. He, on one hand, is causing the followers of Baba Ramdev to unite and on the other hand, continuously instigating Hindus.
For Digvijay Singh, Osama is Osamaji, Baba is a thug (cheater). The government has also been put in a difficult situation. The already besieged government has itself invited troubles. Let us see how it deals with the Anna Hazare agitation, which has been announced to start from June 08.
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