Chhattisgarh’s Raipur Police have registered an FIR against Baba Ramdev for allegedly spreading ‘false’ information about the medicines being used by the medical fraternity to treat Covid-19, police official said on Thursday.
Raipur’s Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Yadav said that the case was registered on Wednesday night against Ramkrishna Yadav alias Baba Ramdev on the basis of a complaint filed by the Chhattisgarh’s unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
He added that Ramdev has been booked under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and others of the IPC and provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005.
He therefore added that further investigation into the matter is underway.
Earlier Chairman of Hospital Board IMA (CG) Dr Rakesh Gupta, IMA’s Raipur President and Vikas Agrawal had lodged the complaint against him.
According to the complaint, since almost past one year, Ramdev has been allegedly circulating false information and has threatening statements on social media against allopathy medicines being used by medical fraternity, Government of India, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and other frontline organisations in treatment of coronavirus infection.
On social media, there are several videos of Ramdev in which he had allegedly made such misleading comments, it said.
The complaint further said at a time when doctors, paramedical staff and all branches of government and administration have been together fighting against Covid-19, Ramdev has been allegedly misleading people about confirmed and approved treatment methods.
It alleged that Ramdev’s remarks on modern medical facilities and allopathy medicines, which have been curing over 90 percent of the patients, would put the people’s lives in danger.
‘During the investigation of the complaint, it was found that his statements amount to violation of the notification of the Chhattisgarh government dated March 13 last year,’ the official said.
The notification said that no person/institution/organisation will use any print or electronic media for information regarding Covid-19 without prior permission of the state’s Health Department. This is to avoid spread of any rumour or unauthenticated information regarding Covid-19.
(Inputs from agencies)
