Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Crowds of thousands back Indian activist Anna Hazare's hunger strike

Arup Roychoudhury,Matthias Williams
Thursday 18 August 2011 00:00 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Protests swelled across India yesterday in support of an anti-corruption campaigner who is fasting in jail, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government at a loss over how to end the standoff.

Arun Jaitley, a leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, said: "It is a wake-up call for all of us unless we put our house in order. The people of this country are becoming restless."

The slight 74-year-old Anna Hazare fasted as thousands of his followers gathered outside the jail, the latest development in a crisis that saw him arrested on Tuesday, before he could begin a public hunger strike, and then refuse to leave jail after the government ordered his release. At least 15,000 people gathered at one protest site in Delhi alone.

Mr Hazare, who has struck a nerve with millions of Indians by demanding tougher laws against rampant corruption, had insisted that before he leaves jail he wants the right to return to a city park where he had originally planned to publicly fast.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in