Chidambaram should answer on Raj Bala's death: BJP
New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday said Home Minister P. Chidambaram should answer as to who was responsible for the police action on yoga guru Baba Ramdev's supporters in June that led to the death of one of the them, 51-year-old Raj Bala, in a hospital here Monday.
"How did Raj Bala's death happen? She was beaten up so badly and was admitted with multiple organ injury," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters here.
Raj Bala died in a New Delhi hospital Monday after undergoing treatment for 114 days. She was cremated Tuesday in Butana in Haryana. Ramdev and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj attended her cremation.
Sitharaman added: "The police excess resulting in death should definitely be taken up immediately. The home minister has to answer who is responsible for Raj Bala's death. Proper sections of IPC (Indian Penal Code) should be put on policemen (responsible for the action)."
She said the home minister should answer who ordered the "police excess" against peaceful supporters and what kind of action he had taken against these "erring" officials.
Delhi Police has said Raj Bala was suffering from osteoporosis, which causes bones to become brittle. They also said she was injured during the stampede which occurred when police tried to disperse the crowd, and not during a baton charge.
"Chidambaram should give us all these answers as to what happened that night and who gave the order which resulted in brutal action against peaceful demonstrators," she added.
Raj Bala was one of the thousands who had thronged the Ramlila ground at Ramdev's fast against corruption when police broke it up on the night of June 4-5.