IMA wants Ramdev to issue video apology or pay ₹1,000 crore

Baba Ramdev’s controversial statement on the negative impact of allopathic medicines on COVID patients has invited the Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) ire.

Despite Ramdev withdrawing his much-criticised statement, the IMA has served a defamation notice on him and sought a video apology within 15 days. If Ramdev fails to issues an apology, the IMA will seek a compensation of ₹1,000 crore from him. The compensation amount of ₹1,000 crore has been decided at the rate of ₹50 lakh per member of the IMA.

Secretary of Indian Medical Association (Uttarakhand) Ajay Khanna issued an elaborate notice which states that Ramdev’s statement has the potential to harm the reputation of allopathy and practitioners of the medicine.

The notice said Ramdev’s remarks amount to “criminal act” under Section of 499 of the Indian Penal Code and asked him to prepare a video apology within 15 days of the receipt of notice. The IMA wants Ramdev to make a video, withdrawing all his charges and circulate it on the social media.

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The IMA also used the opportunity to target Ramdev-promoted Patanjali’s ‘Coronil kit’, which claims to cure COVID. The notice said the yoga guru should withdraw a “misleading” advertisement from all platforms endorsing ‘Coronil kit’, failing which an FIR will be lodged against him by the IMA.

The Patanjali company promoter invited controversy a few days back when he released a video asking why medicines like hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, antibiotics, steroids and plasma therapy failed. He went on to say that “lakhs have died from taking allopathic medicines for COVID-19″.

A day later, the yoga guru wrote an open letter to the IMA on Twitter, posing 25 questions. He asked questions like “if allopathy offered permanent relief for ailments such as hypertension and type-1 and 2 diabetes”. He also asked if allopathy offered long-lasting treatment for modern day ailments such as Parkinson’s disease and if allopathy has painless cure to treat infertility and haemoglobin imbalance.

On Sunday, Ramdev was forced to withdraw his statement amid mounting criticism from all quarters, including Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.