Reacting to the conditions imposed by the Delhi Police for anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare's fast here, social activist Kiran Bedi on Saturday charged that the police order had been dictated by the Union government. She claimed that even during the Emergency, the Delhi Police, of which she was part, had not laid down such conditions on the gathering of people at Boat Club.
Senior lawyer and social activist Shanti Bhushan said the government had no right to deny the people their rights and accused it of behaving dictatorially. “We are not going to accept the order, nor [will we] cooperate with the government. If the Congress wants, it will hire people for its rallies, but will prevent the public from coming on their own to register a peaceful protest.”
He warned that the people would take revenge as they did after the 1975-77 Emergency by punishing the Congress.
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“The conditions are being laid down not because the Congress fears any breach of peace but because corruption had become rampant and it was getting exposed each day. They want a law which will help proliferation of corruption.”
Mr. Bhushan said the social activists would abide by other conditions that the police had laid down such as ensuring peace, arranging for drinking water, lights and mobile toilets, and not indulging in provocative speeches and slogans and restraining from using crackers.