IMA Uttarakhand demands Baba Ramdev's apology or face ‘Rs 1000 cr defamation suit’

Intensifying action against Patanjali founder Baba Ramdev, Indian Medical Association's (IMA) Uttarakhand unit has issued him a Rs 1000 crore defamation notice. The IMA unit has demanded Ramdev to issue a video countering his claims and tender a written apology within the next 15 day or face penalty. Doctors staged a protest outside a Delhi hospital demanding action against Ramdev for claiming 'Allopathy is a stupid science'.

IMA sues Ramdev for Rs 1000 cr

Apart from IMA, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER) Resident Doctors Association, the Resident Doctors Association of hospitals like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Safdurjung have accused yoga guru Baba Ramdev of 'provocating the common man against the one branch of medicine' and demanded listing the yoga guru as an 'unreliable source' for health information. While Ramdev has rescinded his statement IMA has demanded 'prompt and strict action' against him 'prompt and strict action' against Ramdev. IMA has revealed that over 452 doctors have died in second COVID wave as compared to 152 fatalities in the first COVID wave.

 What did Baba Ramdev say about allopathy?

On Saturday, while addressing an event, Ramdev allegedly said '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'. Demanding an apology and action against Ramdev, IMA said that doctors, who were saving lives every day, were being insulted.

In response, Baba Ramdev's Patanjali claimed that the yoga guru was reading out a WhatsApp forward message received by him & others participating in the private event. It added that Baba Ramdev believed allopathy as a 'progressive science' and that the combination of allopathy, Ayurveda, and yoga would be beneficial for all amid the battle against COVID and bore no ill-will against modern science & its practitioners. Patanjali has been under fire for making false claims of 'curing COVID-19' using 'Coronil', with the WHO and Centre clarifying that Coronil had not been approved for COVID treatment, but rather as an 'immunity booster'.

Amid the furore, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan wrote a letter to Ramdev urging him to take back his comments stating, "Your comment on allopathic medication and doctors has hurt the people of the country". Immediately, Ramdev responded by withdrawing his comments saying, "If someone's feeling has been hurt because of that, I regret it". Amid this controversy, the Haryana govt has announced it will 1 lakh Coronil kits to patients.