Baba asks followers to agitate against police 'brutality'

New Delhi, Jun 5 (PTI) Baba Ramdev asked his followers
to mount a countrywide peaceful agitation to protest the
sudden midnight police "brutality" at the Ramlila Maidan but
kept on appealing them not to retaliate violently, a close
aide of the yoga guru said Sunday.
"While leaving the Ramlila Maidan, he told us to
organise peaceful protest through out the country against the
police brutality. He asked us to question why innocent people
were beaten up at 1 am in the night," Swami Sampurunand,
second in command in Patanjali Yogpeeth, told PTI.
Sampurunand said Ramdev kept on constantly appealing
to his followers to not retaliate violently in reply to the
police action.
"I and others were sleeping when the police swept down
at the venue and started to lathicharge. They then fired
teargas shells leading to a huge melee," he said.
"We are not being able to contact him. We do not know
where he has been taken to," Sampurunand said. He said he was
holding Baba's hand during the melee.
He said police came to the protest site and started
beating people and shelling tear gas shells at 1 am.
"Despite the crowd, tear gas, Baba kept on asking his
followers to not to resort to violent methods...He was ready
to court arrest. But police lathicharged and fired teargas
shells," he claimed.
Ramdevji was suddenly missing from the spot and was
seen no where by the followers, Sampurunand said.

Swami Sampurunand claimed "I was holding the hand of
Baba but when a tear gas shell fell near a little children. He
told me to go to the child. When I came back Baba was not
there."
"We don't know where he is. Police has not informed us
about his whereabouts till now. We are not able to contact our
own officials as they have been taken to various locations.
During the melee, Baba kept on telling us to maintain peace
and unity and not to do anything violent," he said.
He also alleged that police did not show any legal
documents regarding permission for the action.
"They (Police) also did no announcement. Policemen
brutally beat women and followers... Hundreds have been
injured. We don't know where they have been taken," Sampurnand
said.