NEW DELHI: Hundreds of Indian police fired tear gas early Sunday to break up a hunger strike by a charismatic yoga guru seeking to root out endemic corruption, forcibly removing him and thousands of his supporters. An ensuing stampede by angry, rock-throwing supporters of Baba Ramdev injured more than 60 people, including 23 policemen, said Dharmendra, a senior New Delhi police officer who uses one name. Most of the injured have been discharged from hospitals. Police said officers detained Ramdev for security reasons. “More than 40,000 people had turned up at the venue, and it was not possible to provide security to them,” said , said Rajan Bhagat, a police spokesman in New Delhi.. Ramdev was later released and flew to the northern Indian town of Dehradun near his sprawling ashram, or spiritual headquarters, he said. Ramdev said he would continue his hunger strike and organize nationwide protests this week against the police action. “It's a blot on democracy and a conspiracy to kill me,” he said. He accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government of reneging on a promise to take swift action against Indians who have stashed millions of dollars illegally in safe havens abroad. He also said he evaded police for nearly two hours by dressing in women's clothes — a loose white shirt and trousers — during the police raid. Ramdev and tens of thousands of supporters began hunger strikes Saturday across India and in several cities in the United States, Europe and Africa. The police clampdown early Sunday came hours after the government and Ramdev announced an agreement on steps to battle corruption.
