Haridwar,, Sept. 29 -- The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has withdrawn its security cover from Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Food and Herbal Park in Haridwar after more than a decade of guarding the facility.
The CISF had been deployed at the Patanjali campus in June 2015. After the security cover was withdrawn in May this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed the force to abolish all 34 sanctioned posts associated with the deployment, an official said. The security cover was provided following a violent clash at the food park in 2015 between company security personnel and supporters of a local truck union.
The clash, which erupted after the company allegedly stopped hiring trucks from the local union, left more than a dozen people injured and one person dead in firing.
Villagers were accused of attacking the food park and setting fire to several trucks. Police subsequently arrested Ramdev's younger brother, Ram Bharat, in connection with the violence.
The CISF withdrawal comes amid a series of remarks by Ramdev in recent months targeting the government and its functionaries. In August, he alleged corruption and malpractices in government job interviews and said another agitation would follow if the government failed to act.
On September 23, while addressing a press conference, Ramdev defended Patanjali products against allegations of adulteration involving ghee and medicines, calling the claims baseless.
No official reason has been given for the MHA's decision to withdraw the CISF from the food park. According to police, security arrangements at the Patanjali facility will now have to be made through other means.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.