Several thousand people gathered in Delhi and other cities across India in solidarity with Anna Hazare, the social activist detained by police before he could begin a hunger strike for a stronger anti-corruption law.The Wall Street Journal reported on the protests, which featured people chanting “Anna, we’re with you!” and “Long Live Anna!” in Hindi at the India Gate monument near Parliament. TV footage showed similar action in other cities such as Bangalore and Chennai, the Journal reported. (Check out a slideshow of the protests here.)
An activist cited in the story said about 160,000 people marched from India Gate to Jantar Mantar, the scene of Hazare’s initial hunger strike in April. Prime Minister Monhaman Singh backed the decision by Delhi police to detain more than 2,600 protesters in the latest crackdown that swept up Hazare, the Journal story said, but Singh took heavy criticism for it.
Singh also slammed Hazare’s campaign, calling it “totally misconceived and fraught with grave consequences for our parliamentary democracy.”
Despite the Indian government saying he was free to go, Hazare has refused to leave jail until he has a written guarantee from the government to allow him to proceed with the hunger strike, an aide who was arrested and released told reporters, according to the Journal story.
Hazare is protesting the Lokpal bill, which would create a national ombudsman but will not have the power to investigate all top officials. Hazare and his supporters wanted everyone, even the prime minister to be subject to investigation, and they burned copies of the draft legislation when it didn’t meet that standard, the Journal story said.
A police spokesman quoted in the Journal story said negotiations are continuing over the conditions under which Hazare can host his hunger strike.
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