Ramdev forcibly admitted to ICU, put on drip

HARIDWAR: Baba Ramdev, on fast since June 4, was forcibly admitted to intensive care in a Dehradun government hospital on Friday despite protests by his supporters who insisted the yoga guru on drip had not broken his fast.Around 4pm, six administrative officials led by Haridwar district magistrate R Meenakshi Sundaram got Ramdev shifted to Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, some 25km from Dehradun.A team of doctors led by Dr S L Jethani said Ramdev's condition was deteriorating by the hour, and his refusal to break his fast left the administration with no option but to hospitalize him.Seven days into his agitation for return of black money and in protest against police action on his Ramlila Maidan gathering, Ramdev was deyhdrated and had low pulse rate.There were attempts to force-feed Baba Ramdev on Friday, said a source. The yoga guru was carried on a stretcher to an ambulance while his supporters shouted slogans against the Uttarakhand government.

A 2,000-strong crowd of Ramdev's supporters blocked the Delhi-Rishikesh National Highway for several hours. They refused to budge despite requests by police and local officials.ater in the evening, doctors said the Baba was being administered intravenous fluid — glucose and normal saline — and his condition was stable. "He is talking and there is no problem. His health is improving," Jethani, medical superintendent of the hospital, said.Spiritual guru and head of Art of Living foundation Sri Sri Ravi Shankar met Ramdev at the hospital and urged him to break his fast. Ramdev said he would not step back until the government accepted his demand to bring back black money stashed away in Swiss banks. Sri Sri told Ramdev he would speak to the UPA government about his demands.Brahma Dev, a spiritual guru, said the administrative action was unjust. "Ramdev's fast had led to a deterioration of his health. The way he was shifted to hospital against his wishes is against social and moral ethics," he said.