Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde has termed the police action at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi a violation of fundamental rights and said it brought back memories of the Emergency days.
He said the Centre must answer the fundamental question as to what prompted the use force beyond requirement. “The Centre’s contention is that the whole protest was at the behest of the RSS. Did they know about it when three ministers and bureaucrats called on Baba Ramdev at the airport itself? It was they (Centre) who ran around and met Baba Ramdev several times. So much so, till 11 pm on Saturday, that they were having talks with the yoga guru. The question is what conspired between 11 pm and 1 am. Everyone sleeping there was beaten up and thrown out. They could have lifted Ramdev and flown him out somewhere. Why the forceful eviction of women, children and protesters? I am very sad and it brings back the memories of June 1975 (Emergency),’’ he said.
Justice Hegde said it was a violation of the fundamental rights of citizens and also of the human rights of the people who were protesting. “It is the fundamental right of people to gather peacefully to demonstrate. The Centre kept changing justifications from the morning which showed that they fumbled to find reasons after using unwarranted force. First, they said the use of Ramlila Maidan was for yoga camp and used it for political rally. Didn’t the government know he was going there to protest? Later, they changed their version and said they were expecting a law and order crisis. When all was well till 11 pm, how can it suddenly become a law and order problem?” he said.