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| Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev |
New Delhi: The India'a capital was plunged into a bedlam on Monday with yoga guru Baba Ramdev, along with thousands of his supporters,
courting arrest while trying to march towards Parliament.
Ramdev has called for an “all-out war” against the Congress
on the issues of black money and corruption.
This has comes close on the heels of the government refusal to
engage in talks with him even after several threats and warnings during his
three-day “symbolic fast” on the Ramlila Ground here, which spilled over to Monday.
Following are the live updates of the entire day: (Time are in IST)
9:15 pm: Baba Ramdev and his supporters to stay at the Ambedkar
stadium tonight.
8. 40 pm: Ramdev and his followers will not be
evicted from the stadium tonight.
Delhi police revealed that efforts will be made to move Baba
Ramdev out of the stadium on Tuesday.
8:00pm: Striking chord with the endless crowd gathered at
the Ambedkar stadium, Baba Ramdev announced that they will not leave the
‘temporary jail’ tonight.
He demanded that the government must provide food and water
to his supporters. “Government feeds terrorists, why can’t it feed my
supporters?” he said. The yoga guru also demanded electricity, toilet and other
necessary amenities for his supporters at the Ambedkar stadium.
Ramdev also said, “The government does not love its people
and a government that doesn’t love its people has no right to rule.”
7:33 pm: As Delhi police announces release of Baba Ramdev
and his supporters, Ramdev remains adamant and refuses to leave the Ambedkar
stadium.
7: 30 pm: Meanwhile, Baba’s supporters who were into custody
has asked police to arrange meal as per the rules but in a u-turn Delhi police has
denied to provide the same and announce that Baba Ramdev and supporters have
been freed and they are free to move wherever they want.
But, Ramdev also announces that he will not break his fast
today. His supporters shout slogans at the Ambedkar stadium, “Jail ki roti
khaenge, desh ko bachaenge.”(Will eat the jail’s bread but take vow to save the
nation).
7. 07 pm: As per media reports Baba Ramdev said his
agitation against graft will continue and will not leave the stadium.
Evoking the people of the nation to join his agitation
Ramdev said he will announced his future course of action on Tuesday morning
from the Ambedkar stadium.
Meanwhile, he made an impassioned plea to the people and said please take out
some time from your busy schedule and join the stir to eradicate graft, black
money issue which is ultimately in the interest of the nation.
On Sunday, Ramdev was supposed to end his fast. However, the
agitation took a dramatic turn as he adopted a more aggressive tone, refusing
to end his fast even as Kiran Bedi and VK Singh joined him.
There was a buzz in the media that Baba’s supporters may be
released soon by police but he will be detained till further orders.
6: 45 pm: Ramdev is now inside the stadium, along with
his thousands of supporters.
“About 10,000 supporters of Ramdev will be
accommodated at the Ambedkar Stadium tonight,” said close aide of Baba Ramdev
while taking to BDTV.
Ramdev, supporters to spend night at Ambedkar stadium.
6: 10 pm: Ramdev
is now inside the Ambedkar stadium with his thousands of supporters. The
stadium has been converted into a makeshift jail.
Ramdev, finally, alights from the bus and walks into the
stadium.
6:00 pm: Ramdev and his supporters have forced the police to
stop the bus at ITO in Delhi, resulting in massive traffic jams in the area.
Traffic jams have also been reported from Daryaganj and Vikas Marg.
As per reports, Baba Ramdev and his supporters are being
taken to the Ambedkar Stadium and not the stadium at Bawana.
5:30 pm: As Baba Ramdev’s bus reaches Firozshah Kotla
Stadium, he refuses to alight from the DTC bus. Baba demands that all his
10,000 supporters be detained along with him.
Meanwhile, supporters gather around the bus, not letting the
bus move even an inch.
4:45 pm: The first batch of detained protestors have
reached Bawana Rajiv Gandhi stadium.
As sources said BDTV that Ramdev will take another 2-3 hours
to reach the stadium, where a makeshift jail has been made.
3:35pm: Now, it’s been more than 2 hours that Ramdev has
courted arrest, but the police has not been able to take him and his supporters
to Rajiv Gandhi stadium yet. The bus in which Ramdev is being taken has
moved only 2 kms in 2 hours.
Baba’s supporters have climbed on the bus carrying the yoga
guru, and are not allowing the bus to move further.
2:50 pm: Meawhile police said that Baba Ramdev has not been
arrested rather police has detained him and he will be taken to Bawana and left
there.
2:20 pm: Baba Ramdev hangs outside the window of a police
bus, which is not moving thanks to the thousands that have surrounded it.
Ramdev tells the media that even though he has courted arrest, he wants
the movement to continue.
Ramdev said the Congress is not supporting him, however Baba
earlier claimed that he had the support of Mulayam Singh, besides Nitin
Gadkari and Sharad Yadav’s support.
1:55 pm: Baba Ramdev has been arrested by the Delhi police.
He, along with his supporters who have courted arrest, will now be taken to
Bawana Rajiv Gandhi stadium, where a temporary jail has been built.
Ramdev has been detained for violating Section- 144 of
the Indian penal code. Violation of section- 144 includes “joining unlawful
assembly armed with deadly weapon.”
Delhi police is having a hard time taking so many people to
Bawana. There are 20 buses moving towards Bahuna, carrying 300-400 people who
have courted arrest.
1:50 pm: Baba’s supporters are seen climbing onto police
vehicles, as police make announcements, warning Baba’s supporters that
they could be detained.
Baba Ramdev addresses supporters, saying that they will obey
the law, but will not go back. “We have no intention to spread violence, the
police has stopped us right now, we will follow the law,” he said. Ramdev is
likely to court arrest.
1:30 pm: Baba Ramdev and his supporters have been
stopped by the Delhi police at the entry point of Ranjit Singh flyover. Some of
the supporters have already courted arrest, and they will now be taken to
Bawana Rajiv Gandhi stadium.
Amid high drama, Ramdev refused to be taken to Bawana on the
outskirts of Delhi and insisted that all his supporters accompany him. With a
black band on the forehead and The Tricolour in his hand, he forced the police
to change course and take him and his followers to a more central Ambedkar
Stadium under preventive detention.
After his three day hunger strike at the Ramlila Maidan
failed to yield any result, Ramdev on Monday morning urged hundreds of
supporters to get ready to voluntarily court arrest in order to protest against
the government’s inaction over curbing corruption and bringing back wealth
illegally stashed in away abroad.
The yoga guru told his supporters that he will make his next
announcement at 10 am.
The government has not responded to the threat yet, but
police have been placed on high alert in the national capital.
Ramdev yesterday had blamed the Congress and a ‘dynasty’ for
India’s black money woes and corruption. In a show of strength while addressing
a rally of thousands at the Ramlila grounds in New Delhi, the yoga guru said
that the country’s 121-crore population would soon vote the Congress out of
power.
Meanhile, the yoga guru reiterated his long standing three
demand. First bring the black money stashed away abroad by declaring it as
nation’s asset.
In his second demand Ramdev said the 99 percent Lokpal Bill
would be acceptable on remaining one percent the differences would be resolved
with a broad consensus and there would be provision of amendment whenever it
will be required.
While putting his demand the Yoga-guru also confronted the
government on the selection process of the chiefs of bodies like CBI, Lokpal,
CVC, EC and demanded to make the CBI a independent entity and the selection a fair
procedures.