Thaindian News

New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) Delhi Police Tuesday said they seized recordings of surveillance cameras installed at yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s anti-corruption fast venue at Ramlila ground here last week as part of investigation.

The police statement followed Ramdev’s allegations earlier in the day that they snatched the cameras’ footage from his supporters during the past-midnight crackdown Saturday and were trying to destroy evidence of their atrocities.

“The organising committee installed the CCTVs in co-ordination with police as a safety measure. As a part of investigation we have seized them,” Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat told IANS.

“The CCTVs were installed on our insistence,” he added.

Hundreds of police personnel swooped down on the Ramlila ground just after Saturday midnight when most people at the venue of Ramdev’s agitation were asleep.

Police used batons and tear gas shells to evict the yoga guru and his supporters, triggering chaos and clashes.

“The police took away the footage stored on several hard disks along with equipment supplier Prabhat,” Ramdev supporter Anuj Som told IANS.

According to Som, Prabhat, who has an electronic equipment shop in Savitri Nagar, is missing.

“When I last contacted him he said that police were taking him to Kamla Market police station. However, his phone is switched off since and there is no news of his whereabouts,” said Som.

In Hardwar, Ramdev alleged that the police were trying to destroy the evidences of their atrocities. He said this at his ashram where he has been continuing his fast after being evicted from Delhi.

“If police have not done anything wrong, why did they snatch the CCTV footage from our workers. We installed the CCTV, we paid for it,” he said.

“This is hooliganism of police, they edited the CCTV footage and released the CD. They lodged wrong cases against our workers,” he added.

Ramdev said his supporters were beaten and sent back in trains so that they could not approach the media.