Guwahati: Civil society in Assam under
the aegis of India Against Corruption (IAC) and Kisan Mukti
Sangram Samiti (KMSS) has come out to protest against the
arrest of Anna Hazare and other leaders demanding a strong
Lokpal Bill.
Activists sat on a dharna with black bands
tied to their mouths at the Lakhidhar Bora Khetra at
Dighalipukhuri here demanding that Anna and other leaders be
released immediately.
The activists had earlier planned to sit on a relay
hunger strike in solidarity with Anna's proposed hunger strike
in Delhi but after his arrest, the plans were changed and now
they will continue with their protest till Anna was released,
said prominent lawyer and former Peoples' Consultative Group
(PCG) member Arup Barbora.
''After emergency, this is the first time that a
similar situation has been created as the Congress government
at the Centre is scared of Anna's democratic protest and has
launched a counter propaganda'', Barbora added.
India Against Corruption and KMSS will take the
movement forward and this will continue till the ''politics of
principle'' was established in the country, prominent
rights activist and journalist Ajit Bhuyan said.
''People have come out to protest against Anna's
arrest who had launched a Gandhian form of democratic protest
but the government by its actions has proved that it is not a
democratic but a fascist government'', Consumer Rights
activist Deven Dutta said.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, August 16, 2011, 16:05