Yoga teacher Ramdev is now set to face fire in Bihar with the state chapter of the Indian Medical Association's (IMA) planning to file cases for his alleged tirade against modern medicine. The doctors' body believes such views expressed publicly by the Patanjali Ayurved founder are affecting India's battle against the Covid pandemic by turning people wary of getting vaccinated.
At a meeting held in Patna on Sunday, IMA Bihar decided to register cases under various sections of the Pandemic Act and the Disaster Management Act. A public interest litigation, too, shall be filed against the 55-year-old at the Patna High Court, according to Dr Sahajanand Prasad Singh, IMA's National President-elect.
"We're forced to take this step as Baba Ramdev has created confusion about vaccination and this is one of the main reasons governments across the country are facing resistance, especially in rural areas, against vaccination," Dr Singh said.
"The Central government had not come down heavily enough on Ramdev despite his nonsense on TV every day. Their action is restricted to letter-writing, instead of sending him to jail," the veteran doctor said.
The IMA has over the past few weeks faced off with the alternative medicine proponent over his sharp views.
In a video that was widely shared on social media recently, he is heard saying that lakhs of people had died "because of allopathic medicines" -- allegedly far more than those who lost their lives due to oxygen shortage. He is also accused of called modern medicine a "stupid and bankrupt" science.
The doctors' body then served a defamation notice on Ramdev demanding n apology and a compensation of Rs 1,000 crore. The Patanjali founder later withdrew his derogatory remarks.
