News East West
LONDON: Indian Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who reached here on Friday to participate in various events, was questioned for the second time after his six-hour-long interrogation just after he landed at Heathrow.
British immigration authorities have refused to say as why the yoga guru was questioned.
Some sources said he was questioned because he was travelling on a visitor visa, instead of the business visa which is required if you are coming for performances.
The yoga guru’s UK programme includes yoga shivirs under or camps by the Patanjali Yog Peeth (UK) Trust.
But his handlers in London said he was detained because he was carrying Sanskrit books. Customs and immigration authorities wanted to know what was written in those books because of heightened security after jihadist threats.
Ramdev said he was not told why he was being detained.
“I was detained for eight hours at the airport, but was not given any explanation. I asked them repeatedly to give me a reason for detention; but they told that they cannot disclose it to me,’’ the yoga guru said.
He added he has no fears as “I have never done anything wrong or illegal in my life.’’
His spokesperson SK Tejarawala wondered why the yoga guru was detained when he was carrying only a few personal belongings. The British authorities need to explain why he was detained, Tejarawala said.
The yoga guru’s engagements in London included participation in the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda and address as a keynote speaker at “The Future of India — Through the eyes of an NRI” at the Lampton Park Conference Centre.
Criticizing his detention by the British authorities, BJP president Rajnath Singh has asked the Indian government to intervene.
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