Ramdev scene: Media coverage halted

A spat between the supporters of Baba Ramdev and the media resulted in a brief halt in the coverage of the yoga guru's hunger strike against corruption here today, prompting him to apologise to journalists.

The disruption occurred after volunteers at the Ramlila Maidan stopped media persons from bringing food and water bottles inside the camp and also misbehaved with a senior journalist.

When the senior scribe intervened to resolve the spat, they told him that since the guru was on a hunger strike mediamen should also observe a fast.

Many other reporters complained that they were being misbehaved with and that volunteers were checking their ID cards and unnecessarily harassing them.

Agitated journalists then decided not to cover the agitation.

The issue was resolved only after Ramdev himself intervened and apologised for the incident.

"I am sorry. There is no intention to create any problem. I respect the media," Ramdev said while instructing the volunteers to make sure that mediapersons face no trouble. Ramdev's agitation has seen round-the-clock media coverage and many journalists are camping at the venue for the past couple of days since the yoga guru's arrival in the national capital on June 1.