Patel youths detained for attempt to protest against Ramdev

Five youths were on Thursday detained by police here for trying to protest against Ramdev over his reported remarks against the Patel quota movement, even as the Yoga guru once again denied making any statement against the community.

As Ramdev was scheduled to visit Swaminarayan Gurukul on SG Highway area in the city, Patel community youths, associated with the quota agitation body Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), reached the site to protest against him this evening. “We detained five Patel youths for trying to stage protests on the busy road, as Baba Ramdev was scheduled to arrive at the Gurukul this evening. We released them a couple of hours after Ramdev left,” Sola Police Inspector DV Rana said.

Yesterday, Ramdev faced similar protests by the Patel youths, who stormed into his Yoga camp in Surat and shouted slogans against him for allegedly taking government’s side on quota issue. Ramdev held a press conference in Surat yesterday and clarified that Patel youths got “misguided” due to some “false” media reports about his statement.

The Yoga guru had been in Surat since the last four days to take part in the mass Yoga camp at Puna Gaam area of the city. Three days back, while addressing students at a different function in Surat, he had reportedly ‘advised’ the Patel youths, who are agitating for reservation, to think about the country before thinking about themselves. “Every citizen, be it Patidar (Patel), Kshatriya or Brahmin, should first think about his country, not about themselves,” he was quoted as saying in the report.

Enraged over his reported comments, the Patel youths alleged that he was against the community’s demand for reservation under OBC quota and is taking government’s side. Following this, Ramdev held a meeting with the Patel members in Surat and told them that the media report was “false” and created “misunderstanding”.