New Delhi: Hours ago Ramlila Maidan was brimming with overwhelming crowds, but the sprawling ground in the heart of the capital wore a deserted look on Sunday morning following a midnight police action to quell yoga guru Baba Ramdev`s anti-corruption fast.
Hundreds of security personnel stormed the ground shortly after midnight Saturday and forcibly removed Ramdev after dispersing his restive supporters with tear gas and batons, ending the hunger strike against corruption he launched just a day earlier.
And in the morning, the ground, a popular venue of political, social and religious rallies in the capital, looked in disarray with scores of quilts, bags and sandals scattered around.
As police evicted Ramdev from the ground, many people resisted, triggering clashes with police and many were injured in the melee.
Policemen were seen removing the make-shift shed and Ramdev supporters were forced to run away from the venue.
The protesters, in thousands, were seen leaving the ground in commotion. Some of them later gathered near Jantar Mantar -- the popular Delhi site for protests.
But they were prevented from staging protest near Jantar Mantar also.
Many of the protesters were seen seeking shelter in the nearby Bangla Sahib guruwara.
IANS
