This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-south-asia-13677897

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
India PM: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev crackdown 'unfortunate' India activist Anna Hazare to protest against crackdown
(about 3 hours later)
The Indian police crackdown on yoga guru Baba Ramdev's hunger strike against corruption was "unfortunate", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said. Indian activist Anna Hazare plans to defy police and hold a protest against corruption in Delhi on Wednesday.
But Mr Singh justified the move, saying there had been "no alternative". Mr Hazare says he will go without food during the one-day protest. Police have denied permission for the gathering.
Police in Delhi broke up the yoga guru's fast over the weekend after angry exchanges with the authorities. Over the weekend they broke up another fast against corruption by yoga guru Baba Ramdev and thousands of his supporters, leading to a public outcry.
About 30 people were injured as police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of his supporters. An injured woman supporter is in a critical condition. A hunger strike by Mr Hazare in April heaped pressure on the government, which is beset by corruption scandals.
Civil society groups and leading anti-corruption campaigners have condemned the police action against Baba Ramdev and his supporters. Anna Hazare, 72, is part of a panel of campaigners now negotiating with the government for tough anti-corruption laws and he has huge public support.
In his first remarks on Sunday night's incident, Mr Singh told reporters: "It is unfortunate that the operation had to be conducted, but quite honestly, there was no alternative." Baba Ramdev, whose daily TV programme is watched by millions, has vowed to continue his fast against corruption in his home city of Haridwar.
He said the government was "serious" about tackling corruption, but there was "no magic wand". He wants billions of dollars of suspected bribe money allegedly held overseas to be returned to India. The yoga guru has called the police operation a "blot on democracy and a conspiracy to kill me".
The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has criticised Mr Singh's statement, saying it was "insensitive". Around 30 people were injured when police used batons and tear gas to disperse thousands of Baba Ramdev's supporters in central Delhi on Sunday.
"It is [an] unfortunate, unexpected and bizarre statement made by the prime minister. It's inhuman, insensitive and complete carelessness on the part of the government," BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said. One woman is in a critical condition.
Separately, the Supreme Court has directed the government to explain the circumstances leading to the crackdown at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, where the yoga guru and his supporters were fasting. The government has been heavily criticised for the way the police dealt with the protest.
"The brutal force that was used by the police to disperse innocent people who had gathered at the Ramlila Maidan in furtherance of the permission granted by the state is a matter of concern for the court," the court said. "India is a democratic country. Peacefully protesting and assembling without arms is legal," Arvind Kejriwal, a colleague of Mr Hazare, told a news conference.
The government has justified the crackdown on Baba Ramdev's hunger strike, saying he had reneged on his promises during negotiations. "If the government obstructs us then we will resist and give ourselves up for arrest. The government's attitude is clearly that we have a right to indulge in corruption and if anyone protests then we will either crush them or... not allow them to assemble."
Baba Ramdev has vowed to continue his hunger strike against corruption in his home city of Haridwar. He wants suspected bribe money allegedly held overseas to be returned to India. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the police operation against Baba Ramdev and his supporters had been "unfortunate" but there had been "no alternative".
Baba Ramdev, whose daily TV programme is watched by millions, was detained by police on Sunday night and then sent out of Delhi. The protests come as the Congress-led government is struggling with a massive corruption scandal surrounding the sale of mobile phone operating licences.
He has called the police action a "blot on democracy and a conspiracy to kill me". Auditors say spectrum was sold off on the cheap at an estimated cost to the exchequer of $40bn.
His protest comes as the Congress-led Indian government is struggling with a corruption scandal surrounding the sale of mobile phone operating licences. A former government minister and several others have been arrested and are being prosecuted - all deny the corruption charges against them.