PHOTO: PTI

HIGH DRAMA: A file photo of Divya Times reporter from Jalandhar, Gaurav, with yoga exponent Swami Ramdev. At right, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh briefing newspersons about the arrest of Gaurav in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate the Swami.

Hamirpur: The Himachal Pradesh police have arrested and are interrogating a youth who claimed he had been engaged by a terrorist outfit to assassinate yoga guru Swami Ramdev.

The young man, identified as Gaurav, who arrived here in the same helicopter along with the Swami and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, was detained on Saturday night from a rest house where the Swami was staying.

A local magistrate on Sunday remanded him to four days of police custody after the State counsel said he was needed for further questioning.

Hamirpur Additional Superintendent of Police Yashbir Pathania said the police were interrogating the youth and a case under Sections 420, 467,468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code had been registered against him.

"The youth was detained as his activities were found to be suspicious," he said, adding that during the questioning, he claimed that he had been engaged by a terrorist outfit trying to kill Ramdev.

Mr. Pathania also said the youth kept changing his statements and giving different versions in "an attempt to mislead."

However, hours later the Chief Minister and State Director-General of Police Ajit Narayan admitted at Hamirpur that the arrested youth had no criminal record and was only a small time journalist with a Jalandhar weekly.

Expressing surprise over the incident, Mr. Singh said this happened due to a misunderstanding between the security officials of the State Government and personal security of the Swami.

"The State security officials thought the youth was a part of the Swami's entourage, while the Swami's security people thought he was State security official," Mr Singh said, adding that it was at best a security lapse.

"No terrorist"

Gaurav's family in Jalandhar, meanwhile, described him as a `bhakt' of the Swami, and said his arrest was ``politically motivated,'' and that he was "no terrorist."

His uncle Ajay Kapur said Gaurav had stayed in the company of the yoga guru during his four-day stay at Jalandhar early this week. ``Gaurav attended all the programmes of the Baba and I think Ramdevji knew him well,'' he added.

Jalandhar SSP Ishwar Singh, when contacted, said they had checked out the antecedents of Gaurav, who was a stringer for a local weekly Divya Times.

Gaurav has no previous criminal background. His father Ashok Kumar told the police that his son was out of station. The proprietor of the weekly Divya Times, Sheetal Vij, maintained that Gaurav did not work for him, but often visited the office to deliver press notes.

A team of Punjab police officials arrived at Hamirpur to interrogate Gaurav.

Hamirpur Superintendent of Police Daljit Thakur told reporters that it was baffling how he entered the official copter.

Meanwhile, security has been tightened for Swami Ramdev following the incident and sources said officials had been told to remain alert.

Earlier, the Chief Minister officially inaugurated the seven-day yoga camp under the aegis of Divya Yog Mandir Trust here.

— UNI

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