IMA seeks action against Ramdev for unlearned anti-allopathy statement

New Delhi: The Indian Medical Association on Saturday said that Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev should be prosecuted under the Epidemic Diseases Act for making "unlearned" statements against allopathy and defaming scientific medicine.

The doctor's apex body urged the Union Health Ministry to take action against Ramdev as his "untutored" statements are "a threat to the literate society of the country as well as to the poor people falling prey to him",

In a statement, IMA said that Ramdev has alleged allopathy as a stupid science citing a video circulating on social media. In the video, Ramdev is seen saying that "allopathy ek aisi stupid aur diwalilya science hai (allopathy is such a stupid science)".

He also says that "lakhs of people have died after taking allopathic medicines", the association said, adding that Ramdev claimed Remdesivir, Faviflu, and all other drugs, which were approved by the Drugs Controller General of India, have failed in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

"The Union health minister (Harsh Vardhan) who himself is a practising modern medicine allopathic postgraduate and head of this (health) ministry, should either accept the challenge and accusation of this gentleman and dissolve the modern medical facility or boldly face and prosecute the person for his words of arson on the sovereignty of the country and book him under the Epidemic Act to save millions of people from such unscientific utterances," the IMA said.

It alleged that Ramdev is trying to take advantage of the situation and create a sense of fear and frustration among the people at large.

He is doing this "so that he can sell his illegal and unapproved so-called medicines and make money at the cost of the public at large", the association said.

The IMA said Ramdev deserves to be prosecuted for disobeying and causing danger to the life of many by making them believe not to take the advice of allopathy doctors.

"The IMA demands and resolves if the minister (Harsh Vardhan) is not taking suo moto action we will be forced to resort to democratic means of struggle to propagate the truth to the common man and knock the doors of the judiciary to get due to justice, it said.

Taking people for ransom and winning business by defaming scientific medicine are unpardonable offences, the IMA said.