Wednesday June 08, 2011

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By Sam Devraj  ( Assistant Editor )

Anti-graft fast: Baba Ramdev

YOGA guru Baba Ramdev, who has led protests against corruption in India, has threatened to form a militia as a new demonstration against the government today drew thousands in New Delhi.Baba Ramdev, who was evicted from New Delhi along with thousands of followers at the weekend in a police crackdown, warned of violence if he was targeted again.He called for men and women to join his “army”.“They must be dedicated, ready to make the ultimate sacrifice,” he said from his base in northern India in remarks reported by the NDTV news channel. “They will be given arms training. We will build an army of 11,000 men and women.”His spokesman said the force would have weapons but would act only in self-defence. He said that Baba Ramdev, who has been fasting since Monday, was determined to stand up to police if they again attacked him or his supporters.In Delhi, thousands gathered at Raj Ghat, Gandhiji’s memorial, to join a one-day hunger strike in solidarity with Baba Ramdev.Led by Anna Hazare, a 73-year-old activist who observed a 98-hour hunger strike against corruption in April, several thousand made their way through tight security to join the demonstration.“We will have to make sacrifices. We will be humiliated also. But we will have to bear all this and take it in our stride,” Hazare, wearing trademark white cotton clothes, told the crowd.Hazare, who has a large public following after years of campaigning against corruption, successfully forced the government in April to allow activists to help draft a new anti-graft law.“I am here to support Anna. I was shocked by the way the police misbehaved with innocent protesters during Baba Ramdev’s demonstration,” Rolly Mishra, a 25-year-old software engineer who had taken the day off work, said.“In a democracy, everyone has a right to stand up for a cause and no government can stop us from doing so.”One of India’s most popular authors, Chetan Bhagat, has orchestrated an online campaign against the government, calling on his followers on Twitter to observe a one-day fast in solidarity with Hazare and Baba Ramdev.

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