New Delhi: Activists Kiran Bedi, Swami
Agnivesh and Medha Patkar on Wednesday joined hundreds of protestors
expressing solidarity with Anna Hazare outside Tihar Jail
while a large number of the Gandhian's supporters took out
marches across the city.
Hazare's supporters in huge numbers also gathered outside
Chhatrasal Stadium, which was converted into a special
detention area, this morning and shouted anti-corruption
slogans demanding that the Gandhian be allowed to protest at J
P Park here.
Bedi, who was detained yesterday and released later, and
Agnivesh arrived outside Tihar Jail at around 11:30 am where
swarm of protestors had gathered since last night expressing
solidarity with Hazare.
Patkar, who reached the protest spot early in the day,
was granted permission to meet Hazare after being initially
refused to be allowed inside the premises.
Patkar approached jail authorities seeking permission to
meet Hazare, who was lodged in the administrative block after
he refused to be released, but was initially denied. However,
later the authorities changed their stand and allowed her.
After the permission was denied, Patkar claimed that jail
authorities told her that Hazare was not in their custody and
could not allow her to meet him.
"It was a right to meet a man in jail. They told me that
he is not in their custody and he is not a jail bird. Nobody
could be given permission. This is a conspiracy of the
government. They are not tolerating any basic rights," she
said addressing the protestors gathered outside Tihar Jail.
At Chhatrasal Stadium, scores of people holding tricolour
marched on the tracks while others lent support to them from
outside.
The slogan-shouting students carrying placards stalled
traffic movement at the NH 52-A for over two hours. Later, the
students submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate.
In Itanagar, number of citizens, especially youths,
staged a dharna at Akashdeep market complex shouting slogans
and holding banners.
The Bihar unit of 'India Against Corruption' said its
members would start a wider contact programme in the state
from tomorrow visiting villages and towns, state IAC convenor
Sanjay Kumar Dutta said.
Hazare's supporters undertook a padyatra from Maurya
Lok complex to Kargil chowk here this morning in protest
against yesterday's police action against Anna and his aides
in New Delhi.
State unit of IAC had yesterday held a fast and
demonstrations at various places in the state to protest
against arrest of Anna Hazare.
The IAC members also brought out protest marches in
Purnia, Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur.
In Jharkhand, Team India captain M S Dhoni's elder
brother Narendra Singh Dhoni expressing support for the
Gandhian leader's crusade against corruption said the demand
for a strong Lokpal bill should be accepted by the Centre in
its totality.
"The Jan Lokpal Bill has to be brought immediately. I
am supporting Anna with an open mind like any other citizen of
the country," the elder Dhoni told reporters.
The activists of India Against Corruption/Civil society,
Jharkhand Chapter, distributed black badges to the people at
different traffic points.
"All the left parties have also taken out a protest
rally against the Centre's attack on democratic right and
attempt to cover up corruption," CPI(M) Central Committee
member, J S Majumdar, told reporters here.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, August 17, 2011, 17:46