Batla House petitioner throws ink at yoga guru; assaulted by followers

Batla House encounter case petitioner Kamran Siddiqui threw a potful of ink at Baba Ramdev's face during a press meet in New Delhi on Saturday. Ramdev was seated along with Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy at the conference.



Siddiqui runs an NGO Real Cause. Before the incident, Siddiqui sought Ramdev's opinion on the 2008 Batla House encounter. He threw ink on Ramdev after his question was ignored.

According to the Delhi police, the attack on Baba Ramdev was premeditated and a result of frustration that stemmed from the recent controversies in the Batla House encounter case. "He was upset over the Batla House controversy. He left in the morning at 11 am with his friend. He took the bottle of ink from his daughter," his wife confirmed.


Siddiqui threw ink at Baba Ramdev's face during a press meet in New
Delhi on Saturday. pic/mid day

After the incident, Siddiqui was thrashed by Ramdev's supporters, who claimed he entered the hall posing as a security personnel. He has been booked on charges of criminal assault and promoting enmity among communities, a police spokesperson said. After the incident, Ramdev said he was not deterred by such attacks and would continue his campaign against corruption with full force. "I spoke about bringing back black money to the country and giving it to the nation. I spoke about eradicating corruption. I spoke about turning this 'loot-tantra' to a real lok-tantra (democracy). And this is what I got in return. I don't care if someone throws black ink on my face. I have been shown black flags before," he said.

Anna Hazare denounced the incident and called it an attempt to "blacken democracy". Political parties were also quick to condemn the attack. However, they also utilised the opportunity to score brownie points. Congress leader Digvijay Singh alleged the incident was a "well-orchestrated conspiracy" by RSS, while Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held the Congress responsible for the incident, and demanded that party president Sonia Gandhi apologise for the "undemocratic act".

"This act of Congress is undemocratic, anti-Indian and has crossed all the limits of decency. It reflects the party's dictatorial mindset," he said.