Defiant Anna Hazare Denied Permission For Fast

Anna Hazare’s face off with the government took a turn for the worse when police denied the Gandhian permission to hold his fast on August 16 to push for a strong Lokpal Bill. The defiant Hazare camp said he would go ahead with the fast as planned, even if it resulted in their arrest.

In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh emphasised that legislation in parliament was a far more effective way of curbing corruption rather than hunger strikes and fasts-unto-death.

Hazare’s bid to hold his fast at Jai Prakash Narain Park near the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium, in Delhi, met with opposition from police who stated that the organisers had failed to satisfy them that the protest would not be indefinite in terms of time; the police also had four other conditions that the protesters were said not to have satisfied.

Anybody assembling at the Park on Tuesday would face legal action, according to a statement by Sudhir Yadav, joint commissioner of police (Northern Range). He is reported to have said, “We have denied the permission. Nobody is supposed to come to the park. If somebody comes there, it is unlawful. They will be handled according to law. If they do that, it is violation of law.”

According to the Hazare team, they had agreed to all but six of 22 conditions insisted on by the police. Kiran Bedi, a spokesperson for the team is reported to have said, “We will court arrest tomorrow. The conditions laid by the Delhi Police are unconstitutional. Unfortunately they are under directions.”

According to another spokesperson, Kejriwal, the denial of permission to hold the protest fast was a pointer to the “dictatorial and arbitrary attitude” of the government; Keriwal also stated that the government was creating an Emergency-like situation.

Kejriwal did not rule out legal recourse against the Delhi Police action; he is reported to have said, “All options are open and there is an option to go to court.” The Hazare team’s lawyer Prashant Bhushan had earlier gone on record as saying that they could even approach the Supreme Court if permission was denied.

The Hazare team was said to be not ready to cap the protest fast to three days or restrict the number of protesters to fewer than 5,000. Nor did they agree to allow government doctors to check on Hazare’s health during the fast. The team were also averse to the imposed ban on loudspeakers after 9 PM, and the insistence of the Delhi Police on limiting the number of parked vehicles to 50 cars and 50 motorcycles and on not erecting tents.

Speaking on behalf of the government, Information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni is reported to have said the law of the land was the same for all and that everybody would have to take permission to carry out any protest.

In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister manmohan singh said, “Those who don’t agree with this bill can put forward their views to Parliament, political parties and even the press. However, I also believe they should not resort to hunger strikes and fasts-unto-death.”

Reacting to the PM’s statement, the Hazare team is reported to have dubbed the PM an “insensitive” person.

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