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{{Use Indian English|date=April 2016}}
[[Ramdev]] is [[yoga]] [[guru]] in [[India]]. A manufacturing unit owned by his yoga [[Charitable trust|trust]] was accused of violating labour law and medicine mislabelling. The controversy lasted from mid-2005 to March 2006, when the state government of [[Uttaranchal]] dropped charges against Ramdev.
[[File:Swami Ramdev giving verbal instructions to the students at the Yoga and Pranayam Shivir organised by the All India Vaishya Federation and inaugurated by the Vice President Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, in New Delhi on October 07.jpg|thumb|Ramdev in 2004]]

==History==
In April 2005, Divya Yog Pharmacy manufacturing plant in [[Haridwar]], own by Ramdev, dismissed 115 workers. The workers had been protesting demanding better wages and insurance. [[Centre of Indian Trade Unions]], a trade union associated with the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)|CPI(M)]], got involved in it on behalf of the workers. On 21 May 2005, a tripartite agreement was signed between the workers, the plant and the district administration. However, the plant did not honour the agreement and implicated several workers in exaggerated police cases.<ref name="how war began">{{cite news|title=How Karat-Ramdev War began|url=http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=61019|accessdate=24 July 2014|work=[[The Indian Express]]|date=7 January 2006}}</ref>
[[File:Brinda Karat by Debjani Basu.jpg|thumb|[[Brinda Karat]] in 2009]]
Also in May 2005, [[Brinda Karat]], a CPI(M) leader, visited the site to show solidarity with the workers. She was informed by the agitating workers that human skull and animal parts were allegedly being used by the pharmacy. Karat demanded an investigation. They denied the allegations and said that only sea shells and herbs were used in the preparations.<ref name="how war began"/> On 22 May 2005, workers began protesting outside the house of district magistrate R.K. Sudhanshu, who had the authority to enforce the agreement.<ref name="name of Ayurveda">{{cite news|title=In the name of Ayurveda|url=http://hindu.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=20060210002604200.htm&date=fl2302/&prd=fline|accessdate=24 July 2014|work=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]|date=28 January 2006}}</ref>

In June 2005, Karat organised protests in Haridwar and [[Dehra Dun]] on behalf the dismissed workers. She also met with then [[Uttaranchal]] Health Secretary S. K. Dass and demanded that the pharmacy be brought under the [[Factory Act|Indian labour law]] as was mass-producing medicines for sale, and the workers be adequately compensated for their labour.<ref name="how war began"/> In July 2005, the workers began writing letters to various state officials claiming that crushed human skulls were being used in a preparation (''Kuliya Bhasm'') intended for [[epilepsy]] and [[testicle]]s of the [[Oriental small-clawed otter|Indian otter]] was being used a preparation (''Yauvanamrit Bati'') intended for treatment for sexual weakness.<ref name="name of Ayurveda"/>

Earlier in May, the workers had obtained samples of the two preparations from the yoga trust's hospital, ''Brahmakalp Chikitsalay'', in Haridwar, along with payment receipts. There were handed over to Principal Secretary (Health) of Uttarachal, Sujit Das, who recommended that in the central government agencies as the state didn't have facilities to test them. The [[Ministry of Health and Family Welfare|Union Health Ministry]] passed the samples to Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH). AYUSH found evidence of human and animal DNA in the samples. The final report said that [[Ayurveda]] allowed usage to those materials, but the pharmacy was in violation of licensing and labelling laws under Indian Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.<ref name="name of Ayurveda"/>

On 3 January 2006, Brinda Karat, backed by a letter from Shiv Basant, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry, accused Ramadev of adulteration and labelling violations. Ramadev held a press conference in response and denied the allegations. He claimed that no government agency had approached the pharmacy for tests and that Karat was siding with drug [[Multinational corporation|MNC]]s to defame his firm. He also alleged that the samples may have been tampered with.<ref name="karat chop">{{cite news|title=Karat chop chokes guru’s breath: CPM leader accuses Ramdev of selling ‘medicines’ with animal parts|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060104/asp/frontpage/story_5679195.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060307172118/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060104/asp/frontpage/story_5679195.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 7, 2006|accessdate=23 July 2014|work=[[The Telegraph (India)]]|date=3 January 2006}}</ref><ref name=BBC-bone>{{cite news|title=Guru accused of 'human bone' drug|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4580846.stm|access-date=23 July 2014|work=[[BBC News]]|date=4 January 2006}}</ref> On 5 January, supporter of Ramdev tried to barge into the CPI(M) office and clashed with the police who tried to stop them. Then Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss, said that samples provided by Karat contained human parts but further tests were being conducted.<ref name=clash-bone>{{cite news|title=Yoga guru's followers clash with police after 'human bones' claim|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/world/yoga-guru-s-followers-clash-with-police-after-human-bones-claim-1-687081|accessdate=24 July 2014|work=[[The Scotsman]]|date=5 January 2006}}</ref> However, many newspapers carried information to the contrary.<ref name=wayward>{{cite news|author1=P. Sainath|title=The republic and the wayward rationalist|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/27/stories/2006012704131000.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524140003/http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/27/stories/2006012704131000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 May 2006|accessdate=23 July 2014|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=27 Jan 2006|quote=Sections of the media even claimed that the Union Health Ministry had not confirmed the presence of animal and human DNA in those medicines sent for testing. Quite untrue. Such DNA was found in the medicines and the Health Minister's statement confirmed it.}}</ref> On 7 January, Karat said that her campaign was about labour laws and consumer rights, she was not against yoga or Ayurveda.<ref name=clash-bone/><ref name=core-issue-Brinda>{{cite news|title=Labour law core issue in Ramdev case: Brinda|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060108/nation.htm#2|accessdate=23 July 2014|work=[[Tribune India]]|date=7 January 2006}}</ref>

In January 2006, several politicians expressed support for Ramdev, among them were [[Sharad Pawar]],<ref name=pawar>{{cite news|title=Pawar appreciates work of Ramdev|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/09/stories/2006010916751500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060304170150/http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/09/stories/2006010916751500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2006|accessdate=23 July 2014|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=9 January 2006}}</ref> [[Lalu Prasad Yadav]],<ref name=lalu-balm>{{cite news|title=TV guru Ramdev gets Lalu balm|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/tv-guru-ramdev-gets-lalu-balm/article1-37103.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226093312/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/tv-guru-ramdev-gets-lalu-balm/article1-37103.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 26, 2014|accessdate=23 July 2014|work=Hindustan Times|date=5 January 2006}}</ref> [[Mulayam Singh Yadav]], [[Ram Madhav]], [[Prakash Javdekar]] and [[Subhas Chakraborty]].<ref name=harm>{{cite news|title=What’s the harm?|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/news/what-s-the-harm-/152263|accessdate=23 July 2014|work=[[The Financial Express (India)]]|date=6 January 2006}}</ref> A Uttaranchal Minister Dhirendra Pratap accused Karat of foul play and demanded an apology.<ref name=MinisterKarat>{{cite news|title=Uttaranchal Minister demands Karat's apology, CBI probe|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/news/article/Uttaranchal-Minister-demands-Karats-apology--CBI-probe/346581|accessdate=26 December 2014|work=[[Outlook India]]|date=5 January 2006}}</ref>

On 22 February 2006, the Health Minister [[Anbumani Ramadoss]] clarified to the [[Lok Sabha]] one of the tests had confirmed human [[DNA]]. However other labs had failed to detected the same. He said that a report had been sent to the Uttaranchal government for further investigation.<ref name=ramadoss>{{cite news|title=Baba Ramdev drug sample had human parts|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/feb/22baba.htm|accessdate=23 July 2014|work=[[Rediff]]|date=22 February 2006}}</ref>

In March 2006, the Uttarakhand government cleared Ramdev of the animal parts in medicine charges.<ref name=ramdev-clear-animal>{{cite news|title=Yogi cleared of animal parts row|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4786114.stm|access-date=23 July 2014|work=[[BBC News]]|date=8 March 2006}}</ref> Afterwards, also in March, Karat received a legal notice from B. D. Sethi, a [[Bharatiya Janta Party|BJP]] leader from Faridabad, for causing religious disturbances in the country and hurting the religious feelings of [[lacto-vegetarian|pure vegetarians]].<ref name=sethi-notice>{{cite news|title=Brinda Karat Receives Legal Notice over Ramdev Issue|url=http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Brinda-Karat-Receives-Legal-Notice-over-Ramdev-Issue-8562-1/|date=19 March 2006|accessdate=23 July 2014|work=Bio-Medicine.org|agency=[[Indo-Asian News Service]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212120942/http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Brinda-Karat-Receives-Legal-Notice-over-Ramdev-Issue-8562-1/|archivedate=12 December 2013}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Ramdev]]
[[Category:Medical controversies in India]]
[[Category:2006 controversies]]
[[Category:Patanjali Ayurved]]
[[Category:Labour disputes in India]]

Ramdev labour law and medicine mislabelling controversy - Revision history

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