New Delhi:
Baba Ramdev, who was detained along with nearly 8000 supporters today and was later set free by the Delhi Police, has refused to vacate the Ambedkar Stadium, which acted as a makeshift jail for them.
Here are the 10 developments in this story:
Baba Ramdev who was released by the Delhi Police at 7:50 this evening, refused to leave Ambedkar Stadium, which had been turned into a holding pen of sorts for the yoga guru and his supporters. At 7.30 pm, there were over 8,000 people there. The police told them they were all free to leave. "Will we go?" asked Baba Ramdev. "No," they shouted back. Baba Ramdev demanded that the government must provide food and water to everyone inside the stadium as it was a 'temporary jail'.
At midnight there were around 5000 people at the stadium. The police now has to figure out how to evict them without provoking any violence. Sources tell NDTV that the yoga guru and his supporters will be allowed to spend the night inside the stadium and not asked to leave before morning.
Baba Ramdev was arrested at 2 pm while heading towards Parliament. Surrounded by his supporters, the yoga teacher, who was sitting on top of a bus, was stopped at the Ranjit Singh flyover, half a kilometre from Ramlila Maidan, where he had been on a hunger strike for five days to protest against corruption.
A policeman climbed to the top of the bus and placed his hand on Baba Ramdev's arm to indicate he was under arrest. The police had planned to take the yoga icon and his supporters to a stadium on the outskirts of Delhi, but heavy showers and the huge crowds forced a change in plan and he was taken to Ambedkar Stadium in Central Delhi instead.
It took the police five hours to escort the Baba, still on his bus, a distance of four kilometres to the stadium.
When the protest camp began, Baba Ramdev said he would not target a political party or personality but today, he openly attacked the Congress, describing it as a party through which "a Gangotri of corruption" flows.
Political support was offered at his camp this morning by BJP president Nitin Gadkari, and Sharad Yadav of the JD(U). Both pledged their parties' support to the yoga icon. The BJP also protested against black money in Parliament today.
In Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar threw his weight behind Baba Ramdev too and said he would support the movement as long as it remains non-violent.
Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati, who often bail out the Congress-led ruling coalition in crucial votes in Parliament, said they also support Baba Ramdev's call for the repatriation of thousands of crores of undeclared income kept in foreign accounts by Indians. Both leaders have been investigated for corruption.
Last year, Baba Ramdev's camp at Ramlila Maidan was packed to capacity, when the police charged in at midnight to force the camp to disband. Many people were injured. The Supreme Court blamed both the Delhi Police and the charismatic guru for risking the safety of thousands.
(With Agency Inputs)
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