Police to act against erring officers in Ramdev case

Delhi Police Thursday said that disciplinary action would be taken against its erring officers as well as Baba Ramdev’s supporters in view of the Supreme Court’s direction over the action against the yoga guru and his supporters at the Ramlila ground here last June.

“Any order passed by the Supreme Court will be followed,” said Delhi Police Commissioner B.K. Gupta.

The court slammed police for acting in an arbitrary manner and using excessive force in dispersing Baba Ramdev and his followers from the Ramlila ground and pulled up the yoga guru for not cooperating with police.

The court said what happened at the sprawling ground on the night of June 4-5, 2011, leading to the death of a woman, was a demonstration of the might of the state.

Gupta, citing the court order, said that Baba Ramdev followers had violated the law.

“No order of lathi charge was given. Some individuals, from public and police, who had used bricks and canes during the agitation, would be punished. Regarding these, some cases have already been registered in central Delhi’s Kamla Market police station,” said Gupta.

Citing the court order, he said they were given 90 days to submit a report against those who did not act as per the norms and those who destroyed public property.

Cases against both, police and public, will be registered after the inquiry, Gupta said.

“Legal action will be taken against those who destroyed public property while departmental inquiry will be initiated against those who broke the norms,” added Gupta.

Gupta said the court asked the central government and the Bharat Swabhiman Trust, belonging to the yoga guru, to contribute to the compensation for the victims.

“The central government has to pay 75 percent while the remaining 25 percent of the compensation will be given by the Bharat Swabhiman Trust. The compensation will be distributed to the family members of the injured in the Ramlila ground agitation,” said Gupta.

Family members of Rajbala, a woman from Haryana who died after she was injured during the agitation, will be given Rs.5 lakh, and those seriously injured will be given Rs. 50,000 while other wounded people will get Rs.25,000 as compensation.