Lucknow Teachers on Mass Leave to Support Hazare

Lucknow, Aug 18 : With the pro-Anna Hazare chants getting louder, the teachers' union of Lucknow University and degree colleges in Uttar Pradesh Thursday announced to go on a mass casual leave to support the activist's fight against corruption.

Besides going on a day's mass casual leave Thursday, the Lucknow University Teachers' Association (LUTA) and the Lucknow University Associated Colleges Teachers' Associations (LUACTA) are holding several programmes later in the day to express their solidarity with Hazare, who is fighting for a stronger Lokpal bill.

"After staging a sit-in on the campus near the Saraswati Vatika, and holding peaceful demonstrations to support the veteran social activist, we later today would converge at the Jhulelal Park, which is the main centre for organising programmes in support of Anna Hazare," LUTA general secretary R.B. Singh told reporters here.

"If an aged person like him (Hazare) is fighting for corruption, it's our moral responsibility to join him for the noble cause," he added.

LUACTA members also will hold peaceful demonstrations at the Shaheed Smarak, and later form human chains before marching towards the Jhulelal Park.

"Anna Hazare is fighting for a national cause. Let us contribute our bit to support a drive that intends to weed out deep-rooted corruption from our system," said LUACTA general secretary K.K. Bajpai here.

Meanwhile, according to India Against Corruption (IAC), which backs Hazare, people from various walks of life are converging at the Jhulelal Park to support the anti-graft campaign.

Hazare had planned to begin his fast for a stronger anti-corruption Lokpal bill in New Delhi Tuesday. However, Delhi Police imposed certain conditions before allowing the protest. Hazare refused to sign the undertaking, following which the police detained him and his other team members Tuesday.

He was arrested and subsequently released but refused to leave the jail. But now he will begin his 15-day-long fast at Ramlila ground in Delhi as his conditions have been met.