Anna Hazare detained before his protest against corruption

A team of Delhi police arrested 74-year-old Gandhian leader Anna Hazare on Tuesday and thus preventing him from going ahead with his fast against corruption. Noted RTI activities Arvind Kejriwal and Ramon Magsaysay Award winner former IPS officer Kiran Bedi have also been taken into preventive custody at Rajghat.

This septuagenarian veteran Gandhian leader was taken into custody from a residential pocket in Mayur Vihar before he could precede to the JP Park the sight, where there were prohibitory orders against the protest.

As per reports, a team of senior police officials, including DCP (Crime) Ashok Chand, met Anna Hazare at an east Delhi apartment in order to request him to not to go ahead with his protest at JP park where prohibitory orders are in place.

The veteran Gandhian leader was taken into custody when he refused to comply with police dictates.

Criticizing the arrest, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi said, "Emergency has revisited the country."  She also said this arrest undemocratic and unconstitutional. Bihar Chief Minister Mr. Nitish Kumar has also voiced similar option. Supporters of Anna Hazare vehemently protested his detention chanting 'Bharat Mata ki jai' and 'Vande Matram,'. The police have imposed section 144 near the JP Park, the venue of the protest. However Anna Hazare called his hunger arrest beginning of second freedom struggle and asked his supporters to court arrests.  In a recent development, his close aide Prashant Bhusan has said that there will be a protest rally today on 4 pm and on tomorrow. Both houses of parliament are adjourned till tomorrow due to uproar in parliament over this issue.