IMA lodges second FIR against Baba Ramdev in Bihar, seeks action under Epidemics Act

Days after accusing Baba Ramdev of launching a tirade against the national COVID-19 treatment, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has filed an FIR against the Patanjali co-founder and Yog guru. In its plaint, filed with the Patrakar Nagar Police Station in Bihar, sections of the Epidemics Act and the Disaster Management Act have been invoked. 

This is the second complaint lodged against Baba Ramdev by the IMA since the tussle between the two over Ayurveda-Allopathy broke out. Earlier, the IMA had filed a plaint at the IP Estate Police station in Delhi for committing offenses under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1987, the Disaster Management Act 2005 with other relevant provisions of law for his remarks against allopathy & modern medicine. 

Ramdev's remarks ridiculing allopathy had triggered a wide controversy as doctors across the country condemned his statements. Medical associations, apart from the IMA, had also launched protests in parts of the country against Baba Ramdev. In Gujarat, prominent doctors association had approached the Ahmedabad city police and sought registration of an FIR against yoga guru Ramdev for his alleged disparaging remarks against modern medicine and its practitioners. They submitted separate applications to the Navrangpura police, seeking action against Ramdev, who is in the eye of a storm over his remarks on allopathy and vaccines.

'Ramdev's Act Anti-national': IMA

In a statement issued by the medical body last week, the IMA  reiterated its demand to deem it as sedition, and prosecute him under the Disaster Management Act. The collective leadership of the Indian Medical Association had said, "IMA has been playing an anchoring role during the pandemic," and later added, "Every single doctor has been deployed in the defence of our people. Every branch of modern medicine is contributing as a team." It added, "The war, however, is yet to be won."

Indirectly taking a dig at Ramdev, it outlined that the 'anti-national element' has surfaced during every challenging moment in history." Mr. Ramdev thought it fit to launch his tirade against the National COVID-19 treatment, protocol and National COVID-19 vaccination," the umbrella body of doctors wrote and added, "looking for an opportunity to market his commercial products."

Pointing out that he failed to realise that in doing so he has irreparably damaged the efforts of the Government of India in containing the pandemic, it said, "Creating confusion in the minds of the people against the National COVID protocol and National Vaccination Programme is an anti-national act of heinous proportions." 

What had Baba Ramdev said about Allopathy?

IMA's demand to prosecute Baba Ramdev under the Epidemic Diseases Act was triggered by a video being circulated on social media in which Baba Ramdev is allegedly heard saying 'allopathy ek aisi stupid aur dilwaliya science hai' ('Allopathy is a stupid & ... science'). In a press release, IMA claimed that Baba Ramdev had called doctors 'murderers' in front of the Health Minister in the pretext of the 'release of his wonder drugs' and accused the yoga guru of misleading the public by making baseless accusations to sell his 'unapproved & illegal drugs'. 

Further, IMA claimed that Baba Ramdev had challenged the wisdom and integrity of the DCGI by making a remark that people had passed away after taking approved anti-COVID drugs such as Remdesivir, Fabiflu and others. The press release claimed that Baba Ramdev's quote (from the speech presumably) on Favipiravir as medicine against fever or antipyretic was 'laughable' and displayed his ín-depth scientific knowledge.' Citing the pain & agony over the loss of over 1200 modern medicine doctors, IMA dared the govt to either consider the accusations of Baba Ramdev and dissolve the modern medical facility or boldly prosecute yoga guru Baba Ramdev for his statements.