Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare was on Tuesday sent to Tihar Jail for 7-day judicial custody after he and his associates Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Shanti Bhushan were arrested in Delhi ahead of the proposed fast over the Lokpal Bill. Watch Live
Delhi Police personnel and Anna Hazare supporters near his residence.
Hazare is housed in the same ward (Ward 4) as disgraced CWG Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi while Kejriwal is in the same ward (Ward 1) as A. Raja, the prime 2G Spectrum Scam accused. "Anna Hazare refused to sign the personal bond and has been sent to seven days in judicial custody in Tihar jail," Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said.
Hazare was taken for a medical examination before being produced before the magistrate. The 73-year-old Gandhian had been taken into custody from a residential area in Mayur Vihar early morning as he was to proceed to the fast venue of J.P. Park, where prohibitory orders were in place.
Hazare fasts in police custody
Hazare, Bedi and Kejriwal were brought to the Delhi Police Officers' Mess at Civil Lines after their arrest, where the Gandhian launched a fast. Hazare's team said he was not even taking water.
Govt defends arrests
The government defended the arrest of Hazare and his associates, saying they had pointblank refused to agree to the conditions laid down by the Delhi Police.
"This government is not against any democratic and peaceful protest. Protests have to be held under conditions laid down by the police," Home Minister P. Chidambaram said at a press conference.
Chidambaram said that Hazare this morning was proceeding to J.P. Park to defy prohibitory orders. "The police concluded that he would be comitting a cognisable opffcence," he said.
"The organisers (of Hazare's protest) refused to accept six of the many conditions laid down by the police, including that of limiting the fast to three days and maximum of 5,000 supporters. They made it clear they will defy the orders," Chidambaram said.
The home minister said the conditions laid down by the police were as per past rulings of the Supreme Court and high courts. "Hazare and six others were taken to the Delhi Police Officers' Mess. Around 300 others were detained across the city and taken to the Chattrasal Stadium," he said.
HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said the government wasn't against the right to protest, but that shouldn't disturb public order.
"Conditions laid down on holding protests depend on the area where they are intended to be held. The area around J.P. Park is busy, has a market and the Maulana Azad Medical College," Sibal said. "The rights of people who are not part of a protest should not be affected," he said.
My arrest won't stop protest: Anna
In a CD relased by his team members after his arrest, Hazare urged people to carry on the fight against corruption through non-violent means.
"How can my arrest stop this agitation against corruption? My team will carry on the anti-corruption stir further and this fight will continue," he said.
"I appeal to the people to be non-violent and not damage any individual's or national property. Nobody should be hurt," Hazare urged.
Team Anna is planning to move the Supreme Court against the arrests.
Protests in support of Hazare
The arrests fuelled massive support for Hazare, with IIT Kharagpur students planning to go on a hunger strike.
Residents of Hazare's village Ralegan Siddhi took to the streets in protest. Scores of people trooped out of their homes soon after news of the arrest of Hazare and his team members reached the village, about 230 km from Mumbai.
There was a spontaneous shutdown in the village. Many villagers, including women, marched to the local Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation bus depot and raised slogans against the government.
While thousands of activists staged a march in Pune, a large number of protestors started a gathering near Dadar in Mumbai. An agitation is planned at Azad Maidan in Mumbai later on Tuesday where prominent activists, including Medha Patkar, are expected to congregate.
Massive protests were held at Delhi's Chhatrasal Stadium, where detained supporters of Hazare were brought.
Arrests rock Parliament
The arrests put the government on the backfoot in Parliament, with the Opposition demanding a statement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"We want prime minister's statement on the Anna issue. Otherwise, we will not allow Parliament to function," Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said.
CPI-M leader Brinda Karat said: "The Congress is steeped in corruption, so it's only natural that it doesn't want to discuss it."
Later, Swaraj said the government was giving the same treatment to Hazare as was given to yoga guru Baba Ramdev.
Cops tried to persuade Anna
Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh said efforts were made in the morning to persuade Hazare to give up his proposed fast, but he refused to relent.
According to sources, senior police officials, including DCP (Crime) Ashok Chand, met with Hazare in the morning at an East Delhi apartment, where he was staying, in a bid to convince him to not go ahead with his planned protest defying prohibitory orders at J.P. Park.
Emergency is back, cries Bedi
Flaying the police move, Bedi said: "Emergency has revisited the country. This is undemocratic and unconstitutional," she said.
Around 500 supporters were with Anna at the time of his arrest. Chanting 'Bharat Mata ki jai' and 'Vande Matram', they created hurdles in the way of police personnel as they were trying to take him to a nearby police station.
Government has become dictatorial: Prashant Bhushan
Prashant Bhushan, a key civil society member of the joint Lokpal Bill draft committee, said: "The government has become dictatorial. Democratic rights are being infringed upon, which will lead to more anger among the people."
Anna arrest undemocratic: Ramdev
Baba Ramdev said the arrest of Anna Hazare was undemocratic.
Ahead of the proposed fast by the Gandhian, a group of people had thronged the East Delhi apartment where Hazare was staying to pledge their support to his protest. Security personnel, including some in plainclothes and some from the special branch, were deployed around the apartment premises.
Chetan Bhagat, Anupam Kher slam arrest
Author Chetan Bhagat said Hazare's arrest was a disastrous move by the government while actor Anupam Kher called it the saddest day for Indian democracy. Anupam Kher said, "Government has angered the common man."
PM holds CCPA meet
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs to take stock of the situation.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi met to chalk out government's and the party's response.
After the Delhi Police denied him permission to hold his fast, Hazare had on Monday given a call to his supporters to fill up jails all over the country if he is arrested.
Addressing a press conference after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh slammed him for resorting to fast as a protest when Parliament was seized of the Lokpal bill, the Gandhian had said he will go to J.P. Park in Delhi on Tuesday, the venue of his fast, even though the Delhi Police imposed prohibitory orders.
"If I am arrested, I will continue my hunger strike in jail. If I am released, I will go back to the venue and this circle will continue," he said. Hazare said once he is arrested, people should fill up the jails in every village across the country. "Going to jail for the country is no crime...It is a decoration," he said.
The Delhi Police refused permission to Gandhian and his supporters, saying that Hazare's team refused to give an undertaking on restricting the number of days of protest and protesters besides four other conditions.
In his speech at the Red Fort on Monday morning, the prime minister decried Hazare going on fast and said Parliament alone will decide on Lokpal and those having grievances should approach Parliamentary Committees for airing their views.
Hazare sent to seven-day judicial custody
Anna Hazare was on Tuesday sent to seven days judicial custody in Tihar Jail.
"Anna Hazare denied to sign the personal bond and has been sent to seven days judicial custody in Tihar jail," said Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat.
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