Action against Ramdev strangulation of democracy: Hazare

Strongly condemning the police action against Ramdev, civil rights activist Anna Hazare termed it as "strangulation of democracy" and said civil society will launch protests throughout the country to "teach government a lesson".

Hazare said he would hold consultations with other civil society activists on the future course of action.

His associate Swami Agnivesh said civil society activists would discuss whether it is more important to attend tomorrow's Lokpal Drafting Committee meeting or to talk to the government on the greater issue of necessity of holding the constitutional values.

"There might have been some faults with Baba Ramdev's agitation but at midnight, beating up people- women, children and elderly- is a blot on democracy," Hazare said.

"It is not good for democracy, what crime they have committed...The police crackdown is like strangulation of democracy," he said questioning why police action was carried out in night and not in day-time.

Hazare, who had rattled the government in April with his hunger-strike at Jantar mantar here, said the time had come to launch a nation-wide protest to teach the government a lesson.

He said there was nothing wrong with protests like hunger-strikes as these strengthens the democracy.