New
Delhi: Yoga guru Ramdev, who had to leave his fast at Ramlila Maidan
last year after an alleged crackdown by Delhi police, has been targeted
once again. Ramdev, while addressing a press conference on Saturday, was
attackedby a man whothrew black ink on his face. The man, reportedly,
was hurt over Ramdev’s remark on Batla House encounter. Ramdev was addressing his plans of campaigning against black money in the coming assembly elections. The accused, Kamran Siddiqui (40), has been arrested. Siddiquiis a residentof Zakir Nagar near Batla House and runs an NGO Real Cause. He was one of the first ones to approach the National Human Rights Commission and the High Court challenging the Batla House encounter in 2008.
Around 12.30pm, Ramdev finished addressing the media along with Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy at the Constitution Club when Siddiqui approached him. According to the police, Siddiqui asked Ramdev for his views on the Batla House encounter. Ramdev, reportedly, replied that he should address the question to a senior Congress leader. At this reply, Siddiqui pulled out a bottle of ink and threw the black ink on Ramdev, blackening his right eye.
However, Ramdev’s supporters at the conference immediately caught hold of him and dragged him from the hall till the main gate. Police managed to interfere and free Siddique. Siddiqui’s shirt was tattered and he was bleeding from the lips, eyewitnesses said. The cops have asked for the video footage of the incident to ascertain if a case of assault needs to be lodged against Ramdev’s supporters.
Siddiqui was arrested and a case of criminal assault and promoting enmity among communities was lodged against him. “A caseunder sections153 and355of Indian Penal Code have been registered,” a senior cop said. If convicted, he may be imprisonment up to two years.
Attack bid to blacken democracy, says Anna Ralegan Siddhi: Anna Hazare on Saturday denounced as an attempt to “blacken democracy” the incident in which Ramdev’s face was smeared with ink and said such attacks will not deter “people’s movements”.
“This is not an attempt to blacken the face of Ramdev. This is an attempt to blacken democracy,” Hazare said in a statement from his village where he is convalescing after a bout of bronchitis. AGENCIES
Dwaipayan Ghosh TNN
Baba Ramdev speaks to reporters after the incident in New Delhi
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