A large number of people, mostly young men and women, came out in support of social activist Anna Hazare at India Gate here on Tuesday evening and held a candlelight vigil.
Carrying the national Tricolour, placards and candles, people, including the elderly and children, began trickling in at India Gate around 7 p.m. and the crowd soon swelled into a huge gathering.
“I got to know about the candle light vigil at India Gate in the evening when I switched on the television on returning from my shop. I just had a cup of tea, hired an auto and reached the venue with both my sons. Anna is fighting for a good cause, he has no vested interests. We must lend support to him,” said Rajesh Sharma, a resident of Paharganj.
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Huddled in groups, some shouted slogans against the government, some silently lit the candles.
There were also those who were dancing to the beats of drums singing patriotic Bollywood numbers.
“It is not just a movement against corruption, it is a celebration of the beginning of a new era of awakening. The movement has given a cause to the youth of the country to fight for,” said Bhuvan, a Delhi University student, shaking a leg to the tune of “Yeh Desh Hai Veer Jawano Ka”.
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Naresh and Vijay, both working in an IT company in Noida, came to the protest venue as they wanted to “root out corruption”.
“Corruption affects everyone. It affects us in the form of bad infrastructure, rising prices and poverty. We have brought along boxes of candles to distribute and will stay here as long as the others stay,” said Padmanabhan (30), a native of Tamil Nadu.
Also, there were those who had come to India Gate to enjoy the weather, but became a part of the protest.
“The weather turned very pleasant in the evening and we decided to spend some time at India Gate. It was on reaching here that we spotted the crowd and joined them,” said Mohammad Sheikh, who had come from Hauz Khas along with his family.
Then around 8 p.m. came the announcement about Anna's release from Tihar Jail.
‘No valid ground'
“It was inevitable. The government had no valid ground to arrest Anna. The protests across the country since morning have made the government realise that they have acted against the sentiments of the common man. It is good that good sense has prevailed upon them. Let us see what Anna does next,” said Deepak Chopra, a resident of Patparganj.