Baba Ramdev ... into his sixth day of fasting. Photo: AFP
NEW DELHI: A charismatic yoga guru has pledged to train his followers in self-defence and traditional martial arts but says they will never take up arms to fight India's endemic corruption.
Baba Ramdev, a television celebrity watched by millions, was on the sixth day of a hunger strike on Thursday to demand the return of billions of dollars he says has been stashed abroad illegally in tax havens by companies and wealthy Indians.
A police raid forced him and thousands of his followers from a New Delhi park on Sunday, injuring dozens and sparking enormous public outrage.
Baba Ramdev avoided police by dressing in women's clothing and resumed his protest on Monday from his spiritual retreat in Haridwar, on the banks of the Ganges.
Government doctors examined him on Thursday and said he had lost weight and was dehydrated but his overall health was stable.
News reports on Wednesday said the guru was planning to arm thousands of supporters to block police action to disrupt his fast, but his office denied it.
''We neither support nor intend to take the law in our hand. We don't mean either training of guns, bombs or practice of killing someone or being violent at any point of time,'' a statement said on Thursday.
The statement added that the guru meant only that he would train his followers in traditional martial arts to defend themselves better.
Officials said they were forced to break up Baba Ramdev's weekend protest after tens of thousands showed up at a sprawling New Delhi fairground. Only 5000 had been approved.
Police also said the event, billed as a mass yoga session, had had ''provocative'' speeches.
The protest campaign is part of a public push to demand government accountability after a series of corruption scandals such as improper telecoms licensing, illegal land acquisitions and irregularities at last year's Commonwealth Games.
A recent report by Global Financial Integrity suggested that at least $US464 billion ($437 billion) had disappeared overseas since independence in 1947.