Delhi Police replied to the Supreme Court in case of crackdown on Ramlila Maidan

NEW DELHI: Responding to the Supreme Court on Friday, the Delhi Police defended its crackdown on yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Ramlila Maidan agitation.

Police also blamed the Yoga guru for instigating the assembled crowd to resort to violence.

A bench of Justice BS Chauhan and Justice Swatantar Kumar had issued notice to Union Home Secretary GK Pillai and Delhi Police chief BK Gupta asking them the circumstances under which yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his supporters were forcibly evicted on the intervening night of June 4-5.

Delhi Police answered to the Supreme Court that the crackdown was carried out because the congregation at Ramlila Maidan was illegal and that they were forced to retaliate after supporters of Baba Ramdev threw stones and flower pots at them.

The police had cancelled the permission given for the yoga camp because it violated the permit for maximum of 5000 people and was about to be used for a political demonstration than the stated purpose of yoga.

However, when policemen tried to approach Baba Ramdev – he was on the stage – to detain him, he leapt off the stage and disappeared into the crowd before sneaking out of the venue. He was found later dressed as a woman near the New Delhi Railway Station.

While denying that no lathicharge or force was used to evict the thousands of people who had gathered at venue to lend support to Ramdev’s fast against corruption and black money, the police admitted to having used teargas to disperse the violent crowd.

As per the police, 49 Ramdev supporters were hurt along with 29 policemen.

Now let’s see the police version finds favour with the apex court in view of the video images available of that day that clearly showed police beating some people with batons.