Students of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) College, Upendra Pai Memorial College (UPMC) and members of Udupi Zilla Nagarika Samiti took out a rally against the arrest of Anna Hazare in New Delhi, here on Tuesday.
Sachin Shenoy, a B.Com second year student of UPMC, told presspersons that the students were sad that a Gandhian such as Mr. Hazare had been arrested for raising his voice against corruption.
“We support Mr. Hazare. The politicians are sacred of Mr. Hazare's crusade against corruption. Hence they have panicked and got Mr. Hazare arrested,” Mr. Shenoy said.
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Raksha Poojary and Ashwith Poojary, both students of the same class from UPMC, said: “We support Mr. Hazare's because we feel that he is right. Everyone in the country wants a corruption-free society,” they said.
Condemn
Vishnu Acharya, a B.Com. second year student from MGM College, said: “We want to fight against corruption”. Ashwith, a student of UPMC, said: “We are all with Mr. Hazare in his campaign against corruption. We want our country free of corruption”.
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Saroja V. Bhat, social activist, said the people were incensed at the arrest of Mr. Hazare. “I condemn the arrest of Mr. Hazare,” she said.
Udupi Zilla Nagarika Samiti general secretary Nityananda Volakadu said corruption had increased drastically after Independence. The common man was hit hard by corruption.
Mr. Hazare had been projecting the sentiments of the common man, when he decided to go on a fast. “But the Centre has arrested him arbitrarily. If the Centre does not release Mr. Hazare, we will intensify our protest,” Mr. Volakadu said.
The rally which began from the MGM College Bus Stand passed through Kalsanka, City Bus Stand, Bannanje, and culminated in front of the Deputy Commissioner's Office. The students carried a huge national flag in the rally.
In a memorandum submitted at the Deputy Commissioner's Office, the Udupi Zilla Nagarika Samiti said that a powerful Lokpal was a must to solve the problem of corruption in the country.
Mr. Hazare wanted to undertake fast within the ambit of law to impress upon the Centre the need for a strong Lokpal.
But the way Mr. Hazare had been arrested was wrong. Mr. Hazare should be released immediately, the memorandum added.
Mangalore Staff Correspondent reports:
Dozens of people sporting Nehru caps dressed in white clothes observed a fast in support of Anna Hazare here on Tuesday, demanding a “strong and effective” Lokpal.
A cross-section of people, including a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) participated in the fast organised under the aegis of the D.K. Anti-Corruption Forum. The highlight of the programme was arrival of freedom-fighter Namdev Shenoy who, after sitting on a chair, and pulling on a Nehru cap, began to sing. The 79-year-old then told the other protestors to join him in singing another song which spoke about fight for justice and urged people to be humble.
Convenor of the forum earlier said there was a need for a “strong and effective” Lokpal, which would ensure that wrong-doers were charge-sheeted in a time-bound manner. In the present scenario, cases drag on in courts for years.
About 15 minutes into the protest, a group marched up to the stage set up by the forum, holding the banner of Rotary Club Surathkal and raised slogans in support of the movement against corruption. However, things took a comical turn when a second group arrived on the scene and demanded that they be given a chance to speak.
Members of the Heddari Horata Samiti said they should be allowed to share their ideas as they were young and that the younger generation should be allowed to get involved.
The district unit of the Akhila Bharata Vidyarthi Parishat staged a protest against the arrest of Anna Hazare. Students formed a human chain outside Karnataka Polytechnic in the morning as a mark of protest.