Yoga guru Ramdev has landed himself in legal trouble for describing allopathy as a "stupid science" and stating that "lakhs of COVID patients died after taking allopathic medicines."
Soon after the video went viral on social media, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday demanded that the central government take strict action against the yoga guru for his remarks.
His controversial statement has created a flutter in social media. The video circulating online shows Ramdev saying that medicines including remdesivir and fabiflu, approved by the Drugs Controller General of India, failed to treat Covid patients in India and have caused the deaths of lakhs of people.
The IMA said his "unlearned comments" could mislead people in these trying times and stressed that the yoga guru should be prosecuted under the Epidemic Diseases Act because his "untutored" statements are "a threat to the literate society of the country as well as to the poor people falling prey to him."
"The Union health minister, who himself is a practicing 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 in an official statement.
It claimed that Ramdev was creating a sense of fear among the population in order to "sell his illegal and unapproved so-called medicines and make money at the cost of the public."
In light of the his remarks, the IMA has hence demanded that he be prosecuted for misleading and causing danger to the life many by advising them not to take the advice of allopathic doctors.
After facing backlash, Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust said the allegations were false in their statement.
According to Patanjali, Ramdev was "reading out a forwarded WhatsApp message received by him and various other members who were participating in the event."
It reiterated that Ramdev has "utmost regard" for healthcare workers and has "no ill-will against modern science and good practitioners of modern medicine.
Earlier in February this year, Patanjali had re-launched 'Coronil' – its medicine against COVID-19, in presence of Union health minister Harsh Vardhan and transport minister Nitin Gadkari.
It claimed that it had received due approval from the union Ayush ministry as per the World Health Organisation's certification scheme.
WHO however refuted the claims saying it had not certified the efficacy of any traditional medicine for COVID-19 treatment.
