New Delhi:
The Delhi Police on Friday refused to take responsibility for the violence at the Ramlila Maidan during Baba Ramdev's fast and told the Supreme Court that the crisis was created by the yoga guru's "irresponsible behaviour".
The Supreme Court is hearing a suo motu petition on the alleged police violence at Baba Ramdev's anti-corruption gathering on June 4.
"He has to take responsibility," Delhi Police counsel Harish Salve told the court.
"Whatever happened was unpleasant and unfortunate. But who precipitated it," asked Mr Salve.
Mr Salve told the court that when the police went to the Ramlila Maidan at night and asked the gathering to vacate by the morning, Baba Ramdev jumped on to the dais and gave a speech instigating the people present at the venue.
The police action had come when Baba Ramdev was on a hunger strike, demanding that the government act faster and more vigorously to bring back black money or undeclared income stashed by Indians in foreign bank accounts.
A lathi charge by the police after Baba Ramdev jumped off the stage and melted into the crowd had injured about 70 people. One of them, Rajbala, was admitted to hospital with several spinal injuries. She succumbed to her injuries on September26.
Mr Salve said that the organisers were given permission for a Yoga camp of 5000 people and not for any other purpose. But the organisers had violated the terms, Mr Salve argued.
Citing the handling of anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare's protest, Mr Salve said that Team Anna criticised everyone but praise the Delhi Police for its handling of the situation.
On allegations that Union Home Minister P Chidambaram gave orders to the Delhi Police, Mr Salve told the court that the minister would be worried if 50,000 people were gathered at the Ramlila Maidan.
People would demand his resignation if anything untoward happened at such a gathering as he was expected to maintain law and order. Allegations that Mr Chidambaram was on a vacation were "misplaced", Mr Salve told the court.
On November 21, the court had asked the Delhi Police to explain the reasons for the midnight action.
The court had asked the Delhi Police, "Explain whether the use of force was justified? What were the circumstance which led to the action and why the police could not wait till the morning to ask the people to leave the venue?"
The court had viewed CDs of the police action at an earlier hearing.