New Delhi, Jun 8 (Agencies): Anna Hazare and his supporters on Wednesday began a day-long fast at Rajghat to protest the midnight police crackdown on Yoga Guru Ramdev and his followers during their agitation on the black money issue at Ramlila Maidan on Saturday night.
Read on for a blow-by-blow account of what’s been happening at Rajghat, where thousands have gathered for Anna Hazare’s protest against police crackdown on Ramdev and his supporters at Ramlila Ground on June 4.
"The government action at Ramlila ground was an attack on democracy," Anna Hazare said at Maharashtra Sadan before proceeding to the fast site to mark his protest. Rajghat is the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.
After paying floral tributes at Mahatma Gandhi's samadhi, the Gandhian leader reached the protest site at around 10.20 am to a thunderous applause from around a thousand supporters who assembled there amid a large police presence.
Hazare chanted "Vande Mataram", "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Inqilab Zindabad", prompting the crowd to echo him. Civil society activists like Shanti Bhushan, Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and Arvind Kejriwal joined the protest.
With thousands shouting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai", singing a tuneful "Lokpal, Lokpal" and devotional songs as well as waving placards at Rajghat, Hazare got on to a raised platform and went on a hunger strike, his second in two months.
Will go on fast again from August 16: Anna
Hazare is on hunger strike at Rajghat and compared Ramllila Maidan crackdown on Ramdev with the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
"This is the second freedom struggle and we have to fight it," he said.
"I am protesting for the govt action in Ramilila ground. Beating sleeping people with lathis past midnight is wrong. It is a blot on humanity," Hazare told people.
"The government and people can be one if the government decides not to act like a master. Only then can the country progress," he said.
On the issue of Lokpal Bill, Anna Said: "Will fast again on Aug 16 if Lokpal Bill not passed".
Political parties ruining the nation: Kejriwal
In a hard hitting speech, his associate Arvind Kejriwal accused the Congress as well as other political parties of ruining the nation and said civil society now wanted a systemic change.
"We are not here to change the government, we want to change the system," he thundered, speaking mostly in Hindi, to the cheers of the large crowds.
He said the government had tried to browbeat Hazare and his team by demanding various financial details including their personal incomes and their expenditure on various protest campaigns.
"Today we ask the Congress to put on the website all their income and expenditure of the past six decades," he said.
We need stronger law against corruption: Kiran Bedi
Former top cop and activist Kiran Bedi said: "We need a stronger law against corruption which can be trusted. The system should be approachable. We will consider ourselves free only when India is free from corruption. It is a second war of independence."
Heavy security at Rajghat
More than 500 policemen were deployed in and around Rajghat as thousands of people joined Hazare's fast.
Delhi Police Commissioner B.K Gupta also reached Rajghat for reviewing the arrangements on site.
The day-long fast by Hazare and his supporters is in protest against the police crackdown on Baba Ramdev and his supporters at Ramlila Maidan on the early morning of June 5.
Team Anna has began his token fast at Rajghat at 10 a.m. It will go on till 6 p.m.