The Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) secretary general, Jayesh Lele, has today filed a police complaint against yoga guru and entrepreneur Ramdev for ‘committing offences’ under the Section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. The complaint has been filed with the Delhi Police at its IP Estate Police Station.

For the last couple of days, both the IMA and Ramdev, owner of Patanjali Ayurved, a multinational consumer packaged goods company, have been involved in a public spat. The doctors’ association has alleged that the yoga guru has made derogatory comments about allopathy drugs. 

On May 22, the IMA had written to Health Minister Harsh Vardhan pointing out how Ramdev had allegedly called allopathy a ‘stupid science’ and ‘disobeyed’ approved allopathy drugs. Even then the doctor’s association had demanded action under the Epidemics Act, 1897.

Yesterday, the matter reached Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi as the IMA wrote to him and appealed to take appropriate action against Ramdev under the charge of sedition on spreading misinformation on COVID19 vaccination. The yoga guru, alleged IMA, had said that 10,000 doctors had died in spite of taking both the doses of the vaccine.

On May 25, the Uttarakhand chapter of IMA warned that if Ramdev doesn’t tender a written apology within the next 15 days and posts a video countering the statements given by him, then a sum of Rs 1,000 crores will be demanded from him as defamation suit.

Complaint against IMA President

Meanwhile, Legal Right Protection Forum, a legal-activism group, has today filed another complaint with the Union Home Ministry against JA Jayalal, the president of the IMA. 

The Forum has sought revocation of the medical practitioner’s license of Jayalal accusing him of ‘splitting human beings into Christians and non-Christians.’

The legal-activism group, has written a detailed letter to the Centre demanding strict action against the IMA president. It has asked the central government to stop funds to IMA till removal of Jayalal from the president’s post.

Three days back, on May 24, Ramdev’s aide Acharya Balkrishna had lashed out at the IMA president, and tweeted: “As part of the conspiracy to convert the entire country into #Christianity, #Yoga and #Ayurveda are being maligned by targeting @yogrishiramdev jee. Countrymen, wake up now from the deep slumber otherwise the generations to come will not forgive you.”

Also Read: IMA vs Ramdev: What is the controversy all about?