Anna Hazare at Ramlila Maidan for a 15-day stir

Anna Hazare walked out of the famous Tihar Jail on Friday morning and landed at the Ramlila Maidan to begin a 15-day fast protest for a stronger Lokpal Bill. The anti-corruption crusader is already on a hunger strike ever since he was sent to the Tihar Jail on Tuesday. Hazare is believed to have lost as much as three kilos in the last three days of his hunger strike. His blood pressure, however, remained under control at 88/160. En route to Ramlila Maidan, he stopped to pray at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Rajghat. He bowed his head and spent a few minutes there before making his way to India Gate.



Thousands of people, many of them school children, stormed into the Ramlila Maidan despite rains to support Hazare in his fight against corruption. There were loud cheers and pro-Anna slogans outside the Tihar Jail after it was announced that Anna Hazare had left for Ramlila Maidan. The cheers from the Anna supporters were so loud that one could not hear the short speech he delivered.

Hazare had planned to begin his fast for a stronger Lokpal Bill at the J.P. Park in the ITO area on Tuesday. But, the Delhi Police imposed certain conditions that Team Anna refused to accept. The result - Anna and his close aides were picked up by Delhi Police early Tuesday morning. Anna was sent to Tihar Jail and a magistrate sent him to a seven-day custody. Anna was released Tuesday night, but he refused to leave the prison until he was allowed to carry out the agitation without any conditions. He started his fast on August 16 from Tihar Jail itself.

Hazare and his associates can carry out their fast at Ramlila Maidan till September 2 under some conditions. Team Anna gave a two-page modified undertaking to the Delhi Police, saying that they would abide by existing rules and that the crowd will not exceed the 25,000 capacity of the Ramlila ground. If any clause was violated, they would be liable to be prosecuted under law. Medical examination of Hazare and others will be conducted by government doctors three times a day.

The clauses of the undertaking include - no damage to public property; the crowd will not spill over to the nearby roads; the protesters will cooperate with traffic police; loud speaker use within the ambit of a Supreme Court order (10pm limit).

Other clauses are: arrangements of drinking water, medical aid, mobile toilets, proper lighting; no carrying of lathi or any weapon; no provocative slogans/ speeches; no inflammatory slogans within 200 meters of religious or worship places; public safety will be taken care of; no use of crackers.

Meanwhile, the Government will pull out all stops to try and persuade Anna to cut short his fast. It will also try and engage with Anna's close aides. According to Team Anna, the Lokpal Bill, which provides for an independent investigating agency to handle charges of corruption, is weak. It has developed its own version of the Lokpal Bill and wants the Government to circulate this draft in Parliament.