NEW DELHI, Sept 21:
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev who left for the United Kingdom yesterday was detained at Heathrow Airport in London for nearly eight hours, missing out on several programmes that he was to address.
According to the organisers, his detention caused a lot of harassment to him and all those waiting for him outside the airport.
The reason for his detention, however, was not very clear. While some said he was questioned on the books in Hindi and Sanskrit that he was carrying, others said he was quizzed by the British customs officials as he came here on a visitor visa instead of a business visa.
Reports also said that he was questioned about certain medicines that he was carrying. Baba Ramdev’s spokesman S K Tejariwala, however rubbished the claim, saying he was only travelling with ‘four sets of clothes and some books.’
They also maintained that he was neither questioned nor was his luggage checked before he was let off.
He is to report again today at the airport which will lead to further rescheduling or cancellation of his events here. Yesterday three programmes had to be cancelled due to the detention, the organisers said here.
They said Baba Ramdev has visited UK, where he has many Patanjali Yogpeeth centres, several times in the past seven years.
Alleging ‘a plot of vested interests’, the spokesman said the Indian government should intervene to seek an explanation from British immigration officials, as it ‘was the duty of the government to protect the honour and self respect of its citizens.’
Baba Ramdev is travelling to UK and USA in connection with the 120th Birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda. He will be in Chicago on September 27 for the celebrations. (UNI)
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