New Delhi: Anna Hazare, and his fellow activists will be released tonight from Tihar Jail. The Delhi Police have sent their release warrants to the jail authorities. Huge crowds have gathered outside the Tihar Jail in West Delhi in support of Anna.
The anti-corruption crusader was lodged in a normal cell in jail no 4. Ironically, among the more well-known residents of jail no. 4 is Suresh Kalmadi, charged with large-scale corruption in Commonwealth Games projects. To add to the irony, Mr Hazare's fellow-activist and Magsaysay award winner Arvind Kejriwal is in a jail that houses DMK leader A Raja, also in jail on charges of corruption in the 2G scam. (Read: Who is Anna Hazare?)
The pressure showed when jail authorities sought to make clear that Anna Hazare and Suresh Kalmadi shared only a jail, not a ward. Director General, Prisons, Neeraj Kumar said Mr Hazare's ward was in fact some distance away from that of Mr Kalmadi. He also said that Mr Hazare had been given tight security, had been medically examined and was well.
The 74-year-old Hazare and two key members of his team - Mr Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia - have been sent to seven days in judicial custody because they refused to apply for bail after being arrested in the capital today. All three are fasting.
Two more key members of Team Anna - Kiran Bedi and Shanti Bhushan - were charged under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act, which does not mandate custody. They were released from detention earlier this evening.
In cities, big and small, across the country, angry people have taken to the streets in protest against Anna Hazare's arrest. Thousands have been detained, over 8,400 in Delhi alone, claims India Against Corruption (IAC), a citizen's movement to demand strong anti-corruption laws.
*Source
