SC asks Ramdev trust to give its version of Ramlila Maidan story

The bench said it would go through the documents and video clips submitted on record by the police to understand the nature of the police action. “Let us see it and find out the truth,” the bench said.

In its affidavit,the police denied resorting to a lathi-charge during the alleged crackdown on Ramdev’s followers,including women and children,and said they were “constrained” to act as they feared the crowd was “going out of control”.

The police justified their action by claiming that they resorted to force only after being attacked by several thousands of the yoga guru’s supporters,who started “throwing brickbats”. The affidavit,however,admitted to using tear gas,but sparingly. Lathi charge was neither ordered,nor resorted to,it added.

Attached to the affidavit was an un-edited version of the video footage.

Countering reports about several sleeping women and children being caught by surprise and getting hurt during the police action,the affidavit said the contingent had been cautious enough to bring along women personnel to escort them out.

The police submitted that they had acted quickly to disrupt the camp on the basis of intelligence reports that Ramdev’s life was in danger. The affidavit,however,does not explain why the police waited till midnight to act on the reports.

It states that the permission was actually taken for conducting a yoga camp for 5,000,but this was violated by Ramdev’s followers during the intervening night of June 4-5. According to police,more than 20,000 followers came in that night. The police could not have allowed them to stay as there were more people than permitted,and the situation may have gone out of hand in time,the affidavit said.

A vacation bench of the Supreme Court had,on May 6,taken suo motu cognisance of the forceful eviction and tear-gassing resorted to by the police. “We are shocked at the brutal police action,after seeing media reports on TV channels,” the bench observed.