SC to examine crackdown on Baba supporters

The Supreme Court will on Monday examine the Delhi Police's affidavit on the pre-dawn swoop at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi denying allegations that it had used force to evict yoga guru Ramdev and his supporters from the site.

The Supreme Court will on Monday examine the Delhi Police's affidavit on the pre-dawn swoop at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi denying allegations that it had used force to evict yoga guru Ramdev and his supporters from the site.

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A bench of justice P Sathasivam and justice A K Patnaik is also likely to take up a petition filed by advocate Ashok Agarwal seeking direction to the City Police Commissioner to deposit the 42 CCTV cameras allegedly seized from the site after the swoop.

However, in an affidavit filed before the court, the city police claimed that no force was used against the protesters but only eight teargas shells were fired on Ramdev's supporters after they turned violent and started pelting stones on the cops.

Justifying its action, police said the authorities had allowed permission to Ramdev to use the ground only to hold yoga camp and not for any other purpose.

It said that instead of holding yoga camp, Ramdev was instigating the crowd during his fast on the issue of corruption and black money at the ground where more than 20,000 people had gathered.

Delhi Police had filed the response following a direction of the apex court which took suo motu cognisance of the crackdown and had directed it to explain why it resorted to such action against Ramdev and his supporters.

However, advocate Agarwal alleged that after the swoop police forcibly took away the hard disk and 42 CCTV cameras from the residence of Vipin Mittal from Savitri Colony at Malviya Nagar, who is the owner of 'Sai' Company dealing with CCTV cameras.

He claimed the cameras were seized by police to destroy vital evidence relating to the alleged brutal crackdown.

Agarwal also sought an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team and adequate compensation to 51-year-old woman Raj Bala who was critically injured in the alleged police lathicharge.