Police deny permission for Anna Hazare's fast, Team Anna explores options

With police denying permission to Anna Hazare to hold his fast here, his associates Monday said the Gandhian will go to the protest venue on Tuesday and court arrest even as they were exploring "all options", including moving court, to counter the police action.

The Hazare team also alleged Delhi Police was under directions to deny permission to Hazare to hold the protest and said authorities cannot limit one's fundamental rights.

Activists Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi said Hazare would go to the Jai Prakash Narain Park near Ferozeshah Kotla stadium and court arrest if he and his supporters were not allowed to enter the park.

Delhi Police denied permission to the Hazare team after the organisers refused to give an undertaking the protest would end on the third day and they would restrict the number of agitators to 5,000.

"We will court arrest tomorrow. The conditions laid by the Delhi Police are unconstitutional. Unfortunately they are under directions," Bedi said when asked about police denying permission to Hazare to hold his indefinite hunger strike at Jai Prakash Narain Park.

Kejriwal alleged the denial of permission showed the "dictatorial and arbitrary attitude" of the government and it was creating an Emergency-like situation of 1970s.

Asked whether they would approach court against the Delhi Police action, he said, "All options are open and there is an option to go to court." Lawyer Prashant Bhushan yesterday said they may approach the Supreme Court if the permission is denied.

The Hazare team had also refused to give undertaking that only 50 each cars and motorcycles will be parked near the venue, no shamiana will be erected on the roads and loudspeakers will not be used after 9pm.

"These conditions are unconstitutional. You cannot limit our fast. You cannot limit our fundamental rights. You can do that only if our protest turns violent. If it is not so, then you cannot interfere," Bedi said.

By putting such conditions, she alleged, the authorities were compelling them to say 'no' to such things.

She also found fault with the condition about regulating the number of vehicles at the protest venue saying they were not traffic police to do so. "It is not our job. We are not traffic police. They should make alternative arrangements to handle traffic," she said.

Bedi noted they were not flouting any law and would court arrest tomorrow wherever police stops them.

Kejriwal questioned the logic of the conditions set by the police. "All these conditions are unreasonable and unjustified," he said.

"We are not allowed to erect shamianas. It is raining these days. How these tents will pose a security threat? Where will people take shelter from rain," he said.

On the restriction on vehicles to be parked, he said, "Why allow only 50 vehicles to be parked. Why not 100? Why not 75? How have they arrived at this figure of 50? It is completely arbitrary."