Decision to swoop down at Ramlila political: police

New Delhi, June 5 (PTI) The decision to conduct the
mid night operation at Ramlila Maidan, the venue of Baba
Ramdev's hunger strike, was a "political" one, a top Delhi
police official said here today.
The operation, which caught Ramdev and his supporters
unaware, began after 1 am and it was almost over within
couple of hours.
"It was a political decision. Otherwise we would not
have carried out the operation although we had given
permission only to hold Yaga camp and not an agitation," said
the police official.
He said police tried to pursued Ramdev to leave the
place peacefully but he did not heed to the request and
instead asked his supporters not to leave the venue.
The official said followers of Ramdev had pelted
stones at police personnel.
"We requested him to leave the place peacefully. But
he did not listen to us. Then his supporters started pelting
stones at us," said the official.
Earlier, police had blocked all the roads leading to
Ramlila Maidan.