Ramdev labour law and medicine mislabelling controversy

Last updated

Ramdev is yoga guru in India. A manufacturing unit owned by his yoga 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.

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 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. [1]

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. [1] On 22 May 2005, workers began protesting outside the house of district magistrate R.K. Sudhanshu, who had the authority to enforce the agreement. [2]

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 Indian labour law as was mass-producing medicines for sale, and the workers be adequately compensated for their labour. [1] 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 testicles of the Indian otter was being used a preparation (Yauvanamrit Bati) intended for treatment for sexual weakness. [2]

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 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. [2]

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 MNCs to defame his firm. He also alleged that the samples may have been tampered with. [3] [4] 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. [5] However, many newspapers carried information to the contrary. [6] On 7 January, Karat said that her campaign was about labour laws and consumer rights, she was not against yoga or Ayurveda. [5] [7]

In January 2006, several politicians expressed support for Ramdev, among them were Sharad Pawar, [8] Lalu Prasad Yadav, [9] Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ram Madhav, Prakash Javdekar and Subhas Chakraborty. [10] A Uttaranchal Minister Dhirendra Pratap accused Karat of foul play and demanded an apology. [11]

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. [12]

In March 2006, the Uttarakhand government cleared Ramdev of the animal parts in medicine charges. [13] Afterwards, also in March, Karat received a legal notice from B. D. Sethi, a BJP leader from Faridabad, for causing religious disturbances in the country and hurting the religious feelings of pure vegetarians. [14]


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayurveda</span> Alternative medicine with roots in India

Ayurveda is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayurveda is pseudoscientific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deepak Chopra</span> Indian-American alternative medicine advocate

Deepak Chopra is an Indian-American author and alternative medicine advocate. A prominent figure in the New Age movement, his books and videos have made him one of the best-known and wealthiest figures in alternative medicine. His discussions of quantum healing have been characterised as technobabble – "incoherent babbling strewn with scientific terms" derided by those proficient in physics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unani medicine</span> Traditional medicine from the Mughal empire

Unani or Yunani medicine is Perso-Arabic traditional medicine as practiced in Muslim culture in South Asia and modern day Central Asia. Unani medicine is pseudoscientific. The Indian Medical Association describes Unani practitioners who claim to practice medicine as quacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramdev</span> Indian yoga teacher and businessman

Ramdev is an Indian yoga guru, businessman and brand ambassador for Patanjali Ayurved. Ramdev is primarily known for being a proponent of yoga and ayurveda in India. Ramdev has been organizing and conducting large yoga camps since 2002 and broadcasting his yoga classes on various TV channels. He co-founded Patanjali Ayurved and Patanjali Yogpeeth with his colleague Balkrishna in 2006. Ramdev has received criticism over his comments related to modern medicine, yoga, and ayurveda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brinda Karat</span> Indian politician

Brinda Karat is an Indian marxist politician, and former member of Rajya Sabha as a Communist Party of India (Marxist) member, from 11 April 2005 to 2011 for West Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subhashini Ali</span> Indian politician

Subhasini Sehgal is an Indian Marxist politician. She is a Polit Buro Member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). She is also the former President of the All India Democratic Women's Association and former Member of Parliament from Kanpur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haridwar district</span> District of Uttarakhand in India

Haridwar district also spelled as Hardwar is a district in Garhwal which is a part of Uttarakhand, India. It is headquartered at Haridwar which is also its largest city. The district is ringed by the districts Dehradun in the north and east, Pauri Garhwal in the east and the Uttar Pradesh districts of Muzaffarnagar and Bijnor in the south and Saharanpur in the west.

The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) is an Indian digital knowledge repository of the traditional knowledge, especially about medicinal plants and formulations used in Indian systems of medicine.

Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (B.A.M.S.) is a professional degree focused on Ayurveda offered in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

The Ministry of Ayush, a ministry of the Government of India, is responsible for developing education, research and propagation of traditional medicine and alternative medicine systems in India. Ayush is a name devised from the names of the alternative healthcare systems covered by the ministry: Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, and Homeopathy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anbumani Ramadoss</span> Indian politician (born 1968)

Anbumani Ramadoss is an Indian politician from Tamil Nadu, India. He rose to prominence as a leader of the Vanniyar caste after 2010. He is a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India and was the Minister of Health and Family Welfare in the First Manmohan Singh ministry from (2004–2009) as a part of the UPA government. He was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India from Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu. He is also the president of the Pattali Makkal Katchi political party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patanjali Yogpeeth</span> Indian yoga institute

Patanjali Yogpeeth is a yoga institute located in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India. Founded in 2006 and named after the Rishi Patanjali, the purpose of the institute is to practice, research, and develop yoga and ayurveda. The institute is the flagship project of the yoga teacher and entrepreneur Ramdev.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. G. Mohan</span>

A. G. Mohan is an Indian yoga teacher, author, and co-founder of Svastha Yoga & Ayurveda. Mohan was a longtime disciple of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989), the "father of modern yoga".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya</span> Private university located at Shantikunj near Haridwar and run by Shri Vedmata Gayatri Trust

Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya is an Indian university located at Shantikunj near Haridwar city in state of Uttarakhand. Established in 2002 by the act of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly it is a fully residential university. Run by Shri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar, it provides various degree, diploma and certificate courses in areas like clinical psychology, Yogic science, alternative therapy, Indian culture, tourism, rural management, theology, spiritual counseling etc. It also provides courses through distance learning mode.

Patanjali Ayurved is an Indian multinational conglomerate holding company, based in Haridwar. It was founded by Ramdev and Balkrishna in 2006. Its office is in Delhi, with manufacturing units and headquarters in the industrial area of Haridwar. The company manufactures cosmetics, ayurvedic medicine, personal care and food products.The CEO of the company, with a 94-percent share hold, is Balkrishna. Ramdev represents the company and makes strategic decisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)</span>

The Politburo or Polit Bureau is the highest body of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The members of the Politburo are elected by the Central Committee in the immediate aftermath of a National Party Congress, which is held every three years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Patanjali</span> University located in Haridwar, Uttarakhand

University of Patanjali is located in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. It was established in 2006 after the Legislative Assembly of Uttarakhand passed The University of Patanjali Act, 2006. It was founded by Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balkrishna</span> Indian businessman, Scholar of Ayurveda

Balkrishna is an Indian billionaire businessman and chairman of the consumer goods company Patanjali Ayurved. He was reported by Forbes to have a net worth of US$2.3 billion as of May 2021. According to Ashish Kumar of Arya Samaj, Balkrishna has successfully established and managed a global business without a formal education.

<i>Gurus of Modern Yoga</i>

Gurus of Modern Yoga is an edited 2014 collection of essays on some of the gurus (leaders) of modern yoga by the yoga scholars Mark Singleton and Ellen Goldberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modern yoga gurus</span> People widely acknowledged to be gurus of modern yoga

Modern yoga gurus are people widely acknowledged to be gurus of modern yoga in any of its forms, whether religious or not. The role implies being well-known and having a large following; in contrast to the old guru-shishya tradition, the modern guru-follower relationship is not secretive, not exclusive, and does not necessarily involve a tradition. Many such gurus, but not all, teach a form of yoga as exercise; others teach forms which are more devotional or meditational; many teach a combination. Some have been affected by scandals of various kinds.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "How Karat-Ramdev War began". The Indian Express . 7 January 2006. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "In the name of Ayurveda". Frontline . 28 January 2006. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Karat chop chokes guru's breath: CPM leader accuses Ramdev of selling 'medicines' with animal parts". The Telegraph (India) . 3 January 2006. Archived from the original on March 7, 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Guru accused of 'human bone' drug". BBC News . 4 January 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Yoga guru's followers clash with police after 'human bones' claim". The Scotsman . 5 January 2006. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  6. ↑ P. Sainath (27 Jan 2006). "The republic and the wayward rationalist". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 24 May 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2014. 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.
  7. ↑ "Labour law core issue in Ramdev case: Brinda". Tribune India . 7 January 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Pawar appreciates work of Ramdev". The Hindu . 9 January 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "TV guru Ramdev gets Lalu balm". Hindustan Times. 5 January 2006. Archived from the original on December 26, 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  10. ↑ "What's the harm?". The Financial Express (India) . 6 January 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "Uttaranchal Minister demands Karat's apology, CBI probe". Outlook India . 5 January 2006. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  12. ↑ "Baba Ramdev drug sample had human parts". Rediff . 22 February 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  13. ↑ "Yogi cleared of animal parts row". BBC News . 8 March 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  14. ↑ "Brinda Karat Receives Legal Notice over Ramdev Issue". Bio-Medicine.org. Indo-Asian News Service. 19 March 2006. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.