Haryana: Ramlila victim Rajbala cremated

Fifty-one year-old Rajbala was on Tuesday cremated at her native village Bhatna in Sonepat, Haryana with yoga guru Ramdev and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj attending her last rites and calling her a 'martyr' who had sacrificed her life for the nation.

Rajbala, who battled for life for almost four months in New Delhi's G B Pant hospital after sustaining serious spinal injuries in the police crackdown on Ramdev's fast at Ramlila Maidan in June, breathed her last on Monday.

Calling Rajbala a "martyr" who had sacrificed her life, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and Ramdev attacked the Centre, saying the government which had all along denied the use of any brutal force during the police action needs to answer how the woman had died.

"A day after the incident, (Union minister) Kapil Sibal said that there was not even a single cane charge, not even a single person was injured. If no one was injured, how did Rajbala die? Kapil Sibal should answer... Rajbala sacrificed her life," Swaraj said.

The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha was present along with other BJP leaders including Smriti Irani and Haryana's BJP president Krishan Pal Gujjar to attend Rajbala's last rites. Indian National Lok Dal chief Om Prakash Chautala was also present.

"Rajbala was a disciple of Ramdev and had gone to Delhi on his call. I met the doctors at the G B Pant hospital who told me that her spine had broken... Her murder will become a turning point to shake this government," Swaraj said.

Fully supporting Ramdev and his agitation, she alleged that the government had "lost control" as on one hand it sent four ministers to meet the yoga guru in Delhi for talks, while the next moment it dispatched 5,000 police personnel to the venue of the agitation.

Demanding that Rajbala be awarded the status of 'martyr', Ramdev said, "She sacrificed her life for 121 crore Indians. Her death was not ordinary, but an extraordinary sacrifice. Let's us see if Central and Haryana government accord her a martyr's status."

The yoga guru, who temporarily halted his Swabhiman Yatra in Uttar Pradesh to attend the funeral, criticised the absence of anyone from the government at the cremation. "If they had any conscience, morality or humanity left in them, they would have been here."

Referring to the police crackdown, he alleged that the Centre's intentions were "dangerous" and had the gathering at Ramlila grounds been a little aggressive and not exercised restraint, "several lives would have been lost".