IMA Uttarakhand demands strict action against Baba Ramdev over controversial remarks on allopathy

Dehradun: Following the remarks made by Ramdev regarding allopathy doctors, the Uttarakhand division of Indian Medical Association (IMA) has demanded strict action against the Yoga Guru.

IMA state unit, President Dr Ajay Khanna said that a letter has been sent to the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary on Monday evening in this regard.

"In the letter, it is written that there is a lot of resentment among the IMA doctors against the statement of Baba Ramdev. The Union Health Minister has also sent a notice to Ramdev on the same stating that the statement is considered incorrect", Dr Khanna said.

He added that the state government should take strict action against Ramdev immediately. A defamation notice is also being sent to Baba Ramdev on behalf of the IMA, informed Dr Ajay Khanna.

"In addition to a defamation case that will be filed soon, an FIR will also be lodged, if the government did not take concrete action on the same", he said. 
Ramdev withdrew his statements on allopathic medicine after receiving a strong-worded letter from Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan who called his remarks "inappropriate".

"We do not oppose modern medical science and allopathy. We believe that allopathy has shown immense progress in surgery and the lifesaving system and served humanity. My statement has been quoted as part of a WhatsApp message that I was reading during a meeting of volunteers. I am sorry if it has hurt anyone`s sentiment," wrote Ramdev in his letter to the Union Health Minister in Hindi.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday sent a legal notice to yoga guru Ramdev over his alleged statements against allopathy and "defaming" scientific medicine. 

However, the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust has denied allegations by the IMA that Ramdev has misled people by making "unlearned" statements against allopathy and defamed scientific medicine.

"IMA brings to the notice of our Health Minister, a video circulating in social media portraying, the celebrated Yoga Guruji saying that `modern allopathy ek aisi stupid aur diwaliya science hai` (modern allopathy is a stupid and failed science)," the association said in its statement.

According to a Haridwar-based Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust statement, Yog Guru Ramdev was reading out a WhatsApp forwarded message in the video that has gone viral on social media.