New Delhi, Sep 27: Yoga guru Swami Ramdev today met the grieving family members of his supporter Rajbala and consoled them. The yoga guru demanded arrest of persons responsible for the death of the lady.
"It is the Central government which is reponsible for the police action in Ramlila Maidan, and action must be taken against the Centre's functionaries who ordered the police action", demanded Ramdev.
The swami said eminent criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani has agreed to work for securing justice to Rajbala's family without a fee.
"Jethmalani will work not as a lawyer but as a missionary", said Swami Ramdev.
I would like to praise the courage shown by Rajbala's family, he said. The family did not show any sign of weakness after the brutal police action, Ramdev added.
The yoga guru said, it was surprising that no case has been registered by Delhi police even after more than three months of the action.
The only 'prayaschit' that this government can do is to arrest those responsible for ordering lathicharge on Rajbala and other protesters, said Ramdev.
Asked to specify, Swami Ramdev named Home Minister P Chidambaram and HRD Minister Kapil Sibal. He described Kapil Sibal as 'Kutil Muni' (crafty man). Even Anna Hazare becomes tense when Kapil Sibal's name crops up, Ramdev said.
PTI adds: Meanwhile, Delhi Police on Monday rejected allegations made by Rajbala's family. Delhi Police claimed she had suffered injuries during a stampede in Ramlila Maidan during police action against Ramdev and the cause of death was not a lathicharge.
Police also suggested that 51-year-old Rajbala, who died in a city hospital after battling for life for nearly four months, was suffering from “gross” osteoporosis—thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time—and this could have led to her suffering serious injuries.Rajbala, a resident of Haryana's Gurgaon, had sustained serious spinal injuries during the police action in Ramlila Maidan on June 5 and was admitted with cervical spinal injuries. She underwent a surgery and remained on ventilator since her admission in hospital and had become a quadriplegic. “Rajbala was injured in a stampede and not in a police lathicharge. She has not told doctors at the hospital about any police lathicharge and instead had told them that she got injured in a stampede,” Dharmendra Kumar, Special Commissioner (Law and Order), told reporters.
The medico-legal certificate (MLC) filed by doctors on the basis of the victim's statement also did not mention police lathicharge but stampede, he said.“The MLC will have the nature of injuries and what the victim tells a doctor. It was not recorded in the MLC that the injuries were caused by a lathicharge,” he said. Kumar said the medical report they received from the hospital also noted that she was suffering from “gross” osteoporosis. “In this condition, bones become brittle.
Even a small injury could become serious in this case,” he said. Earlier in the day, her daughter-in-law Rajesh Malik and other relatives alleged that she died due to injuries suffered during lathicharge and debunked the police theory.
“Rajbala died due to the police action. Everybody knows why police took such action against the protest. We want our mother back. Can they do that?” Malik said alleging that all her injuries were not mentioned in the MLC report.“My mother-in-law told police and us that she was beaten up by police. Even in the MLC report, all the injuries were not reported. There is a conspiracy,” she alleged. Kumar denied the allegations and said one cannot tamper the MLC reports.
He said “it is written by the doctor and once it is written, no one can do anything about it”. Also, he said, the MLCs of all those who were injured in the incident mention only stampede and not lathicharge. Kumar also said not a single policeman was present on the dais as claimed by some relatives of Rajbala. “They said she suffered injuries during lathicharge on the stage.
She had told doctors that she suffered injuries around one AM. “Not a single policeman was present on the stage. Some officers went to the stage well before that time to hand over a letter withdrawing permission for the function to Ramdev. Then we entered the dais only after protesters were removed from the ground,” he said.
The MLC report said, “stampede at Ramlila Ground around one am as told by B/B and patient. Neck pain, unable to move upper and lower limbs.” Rajbala was referred to orthopaedic section, it said.
Police sources claimed that Rajbala was earlier named with others in an FIR of murder of one Neetu Solanki in 2008. She was chargesheeted in this case under sections 302 (murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of IPC. She was also named in another FIR in 1999 in a case of rioting in Gurgaon, they said.
Delhi government on Monday said it will explore ways to help the family of Rajbala. “She was a resident of Haryana. We had provided her treatment. Health Minister (A K Walia) will meet her family members and will see how we can help them,” Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said replying to queries by reporters on the issue.
