Hazare to go ahead with fast despite police denying permission

New Delhi, Jun 7 (PTI) Setting the stage for a fresh
showdown with the government, Indian activist Anna Hazare and
his supporters will go ahead with their protest at Jantar
Mantar Wednesday despite Delhi Police refusing permission for
their day-long fast.
A senior police official Tuesday said they have
refused permission for the fast at the dharna hotspot while
citing prohibitory orders at the site after the police action
against Baba Ramdev in Ramlila Maidan in the Indian capital
city on Sunday.
Sources said Delhi Police has already informed
Hazare's team about the refusal of permission.
Police had on Sunday imposed prohibitory orders under
Section 144 of CrPC in Jantar Mantar and other areas in New
Delhi district following the midnight police action in Ramlila
Maidan where Ramdev and his supporters were on an indefinite
protest on black money and corruption issues.
However, activist Arvind Kejriwal said they will go
ahead with the "very peaceful" protest and court arrest if
police obstructed them. "No one can stop Anna Hazare from
protesting at Jantar Mantar tomorrow," he said.
Shanti Bhushan, who wrote to Delhi Police on behalf of
Hazare-led team seeking permission for the protest, said they
were putting police on notice that they intend to go ahead
with the fast and any attempt to prevent the people from
reaching Jantar Mantar would be viewed as a serious violation
of fundamental democratic rights of the people.
"This is not acceptable. We appeal to the people to be
calm tomorrow when they come to Jantar Mantar. We will stop
wherever police tries to stop us. After that few people can
get arrested, others can go home," he said.
He said Hazare's call was for a fast and this should
not lead to a law and order situation. Kejriwal said government ought to explain what law and
order problem they apprehend due to the protest by Hazare.
"Anna is a 73-year-old man and has never provoked
anyone. He never had a violent history. Now he says, he wants
to assemble peacefully, what is the need of Section 144. If
police tries to stop us we will not resist but just offer
ourselves for being arrested," he said.
Alleging that government has arbitrarily imposed
Section 144, Kejriwal said there have been Indian Supreme
Court orders stating that the section should not be misused.
Asked about seeking permission from police, he shot
back, saying, "From whom should we seek permission. They are
not our masters. People of this country are the masters.
Government is not our master, unfortunately they have started
behaving like they are our masters."
He alleged that government's attitude is that it has
the "right to indulge in corruption and if anyone protests
against them, they we will either crush them or impose Section
144 and not allow them to protest".
Justice Santosh Hegde, who is the south Indian state
Karnataka Lokayukta (ombudsman), said he will not join any
fast or demonstration till he was holding a public post but
noted that the move to impose Section 144 and denying
permission to Hazare "indicates a weakness" on the part of the
government.
"The actions of the government against Baba Ramdev
shows they are scared of him," he alleged, adding he was not
asking anybody to defy the law.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nirmala
Seetharaman said the police decision clearly shows that the
government is neither prepared to engage with the civil
society nor it is clear about the strategy with which it has
to negotiate on issues which are confronting it.