Ramdev, ex-army chief lead protest at Jantar Mantar

NEW DELHI: Protesters led by yoga guru Ramdev and former Army chief V K Singh today clashed with police at Jantar Mantar here this afternoon when they were prevented from marching towards India Gate, the epicentre of protests against gang-rape of a young girl last Sunday.

After a brief speech at Jantar Mantar, Ramdev along with Singh and others started marching towards India Gate but they were stopped by police.

As soon as Ramdev and Singh got down from the dais, police cordoned off the area and the protesters sat at the spot.

However, supporters started marching towards India Gate and tried to break the barricades following which police resorted to use of force. Two persons suffered injuries in the incident.

"Government should set up fast track courts and punish all the rapists. We want death penalty for all the accused," Ramdev said.

At Safdurjung Hospital, where the gangrape victim is battling for life, BJP staged a protest demanding justice for her.

Dr B K Athani, Medical Superintendent of Safdurjung Hospital, appealed to protesters not to stage demonstrations near the hospital.