Baba Ramdev arrested: Ramlila ground never saw so much drama

The Ramlila grounds, which had been the focal point of a growing movement against corruption, on Sunday morning bore a ravaged, deserted look. Till the night before, thousands of Ramdev supporters had been pouring in from various states, raising slogans . They carried with them clothes and nick-knacks to last for at least the first week of what was supposed to turn into a huge movement.

The buildup to the movement included hushed and closely tracked high-level government discussions. But the momentum the agitation had gained was cut prematurely short after a 5,000-strong police force closed down the entire program and vacated the venue in less than two hours.

The surprise police action, the hurried exit of the spiritual leader and later, the lobbing of several teargas shells by cops converted a space that was teeming with enthusiastic supporters into a ravaged park of broken furniture and a half-burnt stage. The tent was already in a shambles and police started taking apart the elaborate arrangements that were put together over a month’s time.

By 2am on Sunday, thousands of supporters had been driven out of the grounds. While initially they cried, yelled and confronted the cops, in a couple of hours, these too were silenced. Supporters ran for cover as troubled reports of Baba Ramdev in police custody started trickling in. Seized by fear at the sudden police clampdown , confused protesters reportedly huddled near the Metro station, bus depots and railway stations. Many walked down to Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and other nearby ashrams.

The gates of the grounds had been shut and were being manned by police personnel. With Section 144 of CrPC being imposed in the area, protesters claimed that when they returned on Sunday morning to look for their belongings they were asked to leave the city by police.

By 11am on Sunday, the few supporters who had continued to plead for entry inside the grounds had also given up. A stray supporter circumventing the grounds shook his head in dejection as he picked up a torn poster with anti-corruption slogans written across it.

Most supporters chose to wait in the various ashrams. “There are a lot of us and Baba needs to make a decision and let us know. We will continue his struggle even if he has been asked to remain outside the city. It is a black day for us but we will stand by whatever Baba decides. We are all ready to wait in Delhi for as long as it is required,” said Deenanath, a supporter who had come from Maharashtra .