Baba Ramdev detained at London Airport second time in 2 days

London: Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, who was detained by Customs Authorities at Heathrow Airport of London for 6 long hours yesterday was called again by British Authorities for questioning today.  British authorities today called Ramdev again to the Heathrow Airport for a second round of questioning.Earlier he was given a 24-hour visa and instructed to return to Terminal Five at Heathrow on Saturday afternoon.

While the exact cause of his detention is not confirmed, BJP President Rajnath Singh says that he was detained because he was carrying a diary containing Mantras (spiritual hymns written in Sanskrit).

Earlier there were reports that Baba Ramdev was detained  due to carrying certain Ayurvedic medicines with him. However, his spokesperson SK Tijarawala has described this report as “baseless”.

Some Report said his questioning for the second day is related to him travelling on a visitor’s visa, and not a business visa while other unconfirmed reports claimed he was mistaken for a terror suspect.

Talking to Media Persons, Baba Ramdev said, “I have never done anything wrong or illegal in my life. I was detained for eight hours at the airport, but was not given any explanation. I asked them repeatedly to give me a reason for detention; but they told that they cannot disclose it to me”.

Ramdev landed in United Kingdom to  attend a function organised by his organization Patanjali Yogpeeth to mark  the 120th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda where he was expected to be joined by BJP parliamentarian M Venkaiah Naidu and British minister Baroness Sandip Verma.

He was also scheduled to deliver the keynote address at “The Future of India – Through the eyes of an NRI” event. Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousufzai was expected to join him at this event.

Ramdev’s detention has drawn criticism from the BJP which urged the Centre to intervene. BJP president Rajnath Singh termed the detention of the yoga guru as “serious” issue and asked the Centre to take cognisance of the matter.

“The reasons for his detention have not been made public…as I know, he was detained at the airport for carrying a diary carrying mantras. The diary has been seized and he has been called for fresh questioning today also,” Singh told reporters in New Delhi.

Om Prakash Yadav, a group organiser and associate of the Ramdev said “He has been here (UK) six or seven times before – the first time in 2006 he was a guest of the Queen at Buckingham Palace and the second time he was a guest of Tony Blair at the House of Commons”.