CHENNAI: Chennai followers of Baba Ramdev, who participated in fasting on Saturday in support of the yoga guru, are anguished at the treatment meted out to him and the turn of events at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi.As the drama unfolded on the television sets, many families, patrons and followers of the master watched with grim expressions, unable to fathom the sight that was before them. “We couldn’t believe the high-handedness of the police. They just charged at the sleeping people. It was unacceptable,” said Parmeswaran who has attended the yog-guru’s camps that took place in Chennai.Baba Ramdev’s followers in the city is not just a good population of the north-Indian community but others including women, businessmen, retired people and youngsters, who have benefited from his yoga demonstrations.“Baba Ramdev is not a crook like the politicians.He was demanding what perhaps none of us would ever have the guts to take up as a cause. I couldn’t watch the shabby treatment of the police,” said Ramya, a young mother.By Sunday morning, people’s ire had only soared.The Bharat Swabhiman Trust and Pattanjali Yog Samiti patrons sent out messages to all their followers.“To protest the kidnap of Babaji and barbaric manhandling of satyagrahis, we got together to decide future plan of action. We have decided to go on dharna for two days and wear black to mark our protest against what happened in New Delhi,” said Rajehwari Prabhakaran, the south women wing in-charge of the trust.Discussions amongst various forums revolved around how the Congress government had acted in an unruly manner. “The Congress is doing this at the behest of Sonia Gandhi. This is all the government’s badmashi,” said a member of the Agarwal Samaj which had organised the first Ramdev yoga camp in the city. “His midnight arrest and forceful removal to outskirts of the city was done, because the government didn’t want to give the names of the people who have their black money stashed away in foreign banks, most of whom are probably from the Congress itself,” said Ravindra Gandhi, president, Bharat Swabhiman Trust,Chennai.India Against Corruption, the forum that took up the cause of the Lokpal Bill, is also planning to mark their protest against the lathi charge. “It’s the most undemocratic.At 1am, the police had no business attacking sleeping people in the ground. It is against good governance,” said Venkatanarayan, a patron of the IAC.Over 6,000 people had gathered in Chennai on Saturday for the fasting meeting between 10am and 5pm. “It shows that there are strong followers of Baba down south. The government’s act was atrocious,” said another volunteer.While a majority condemned the event, some say this was expected. “What he is demanding for is too unrealistic to be accomplished.It is no wonder that he got beaten up in the process.From Yoga, baba has moved on to the dirty game of politics which is not appreciable.He should stick to yoga,” Kshitij, an IT professional said.
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