New Delhi: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government, finding itself increasingly isolated over the arrest and judicial custody of Anna Hazare and his supporters, finally seems to be blinking. Delhi Police sources have told CNN-IBN that Hazare and seven of his supporters, who were arrested and sent to seven days in judicial custody on Tuesday, are likely to be released later in the night.
Delhi Police sources say that they have sent a warrant to Tihar Jail for the release of Hazare and his supporters. Over 15,000 people who have been detained for taking part in protests demanding Hazare's release are also likely to be released.
Sources say that the Government decided to release Hazare and his supporters after coming to the conclusion that keeping him in jail would create unnecessary law and order problem
Earlier, Hazare supporters Kiran Bedi and Shanti Bhushan were released by the Delhi Police on Tuesday evening.
Hazare and some of his supporters were arrested on Tuesday morning just a few hours before he was to launch his fast for a strong anti-corruption legislation.
Hazare was first detained and then arrested with the Government claiming that there was an apprehension of "breach of peace" if he was allowed to undertake his fast demanding that Team Anna's version of the anti-corruption legislation called the Jan Lokpal Bill be introduced in Parliament.
Hazare and seven of his supporters were later sent to seven days in judicial custody and taken to Tihar Jail after he refused to sign a bond undertaking not to violate Section 144 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code.
Manish Sisodia, Arvind Kejriwal, Darshak, Radheshyam, Suresh Pathare, Naveen Jaisingh and Dada Phatare were the other Hazare supporters who have been sent to judicial custody. However, former Indian Police Service Officer Kiran Bedi and senior lawyer Shanti Bhushan were released after being kept in preventive detention for several hours.
Hazare and Sisodia have been kept in Jail No. 4 of Tihar Jail where Congress MP and Commonwealth Games scam accused Suresh Kalmadi is also lodged. Kejriwal and others have been sent to Jail No. 1 where DMK leader and former telecom minister A Raja, who is accused of being involved in the 2G spectrum scam, lodged.
He is continuing with his fast inside Tihar Jail with jail authorities saying that he refused to take food that was offered to him at 6:30 PM.
After his arrest Hazare was first taken to the General Officers’ Mess in Civil Lines area of New Delhi but after his supporters reached there in large numbers, Delhi Police whisked him away to an unknown location and later to the Rajouri Garden Police Station in west Delhi, several kilometers away from Mayur Vihar in east Delhi where he was arrested.
Massive protests erupted throughout the country as soon as the news of Hazare's arrest spread with the Opposition, too, coming out in support of his rights to carry out a peaceful protest. Massive protests and candle light marches have been reported from several cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad.
The Opposition led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left Front called the arrest a throwback to the Emergency days and alleged that the Government was out to muzzle the freedom of expression. Opposition leaders said they would launch an agitation both within and outside Parliament and demanded a statement from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue.
With both houses of Parliament witnessing stormy scenes and the Government finding itself cornered over the arrests, senior minister tried to justify the crackdown claiming that Hazare and his supporters were defying orders.
Union Home Minister Chidambaram said that Hazare and his supporters were detained and then arrested as they tried to defy the orders despite not indulging in violence.
"Delhi Police arrested Anna Hazare and five others after Anna Hazare told police that they would defy law and were proceeding to JP Park. Extensive discussions took place between Delhi Police and civil rights group on the location of the protest. Delhi Police told the organisers to give an undertaking that they would abide by all the conditions. The organisers refused to accept the conditions or give an undertaking," said Home Minister P Chidambaram.
Chidambaram said Hazare was arrested under Sections 107 and 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code because Delhi Police felt that he could commit a cognizable offence.
Team Anna hit back at the Government calling the arrests undemocratic and called for protest across the country.
Hazare supporter and senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan appealed to the people and government officials to come in large numbers in support of the anti-corruption movement. He called upon all government officials to take one day casual leave on Wednesday and join the anti-corruption movement.
Calling the UPA Government just like the British government, Bhushan said that many people have been detained all over the country.
"Anna was scheduled to undertake his fast from JP Park today. He had announced that he will reach Rajghat at 8 AM and then go to JP park. He was detained at 7:30 AM this morning. The police didn't tell him why he was arrested, not only him but his supporters including Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Manish Sisodia. We have heard that more than 2500 people have been detained in Delhi. Anna Hazare has started his fast from 10 AM today. It's a fundamental right of any citizen of the country to hold a peaceful protest. We had already said that we will not cause any inconvenience but still Section 144 was imposed," said Bhushan.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also a report within two weeks on the crackdown on Hazare's agitation from Union Home Secretary RK Singh and the Delhi Police Commissioner BK Gupta.
Coming close on the heels of the police crackdown on Baba Ramdev and his supporters, the action against Hazare is unlikely to give much breathing space to the Government which is finding itself in a corner over allegations of massive corruption under its regime.
