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India Corruption: Anna Hazare Leaves Jail To Begin Fast
BBC NEWS, SOUTH ASIA
August 19, 2011: Indian anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare has left prison to begin a 15-day hunger strike in Delhi. Mr Hazare told thousands of flag-waving supporters who greeted him outside Tihar jail that the fight against corruption will continue. Mr Hazare wants to force the government to strengthen an anti-corruption bill, which he regards as too weak. Thousands of people are gathered at Ram Lila Maidan - a huge ground in central Delhi, where the fast will be held.
Mr Hazare's arrest on Tuesday sparked mass protests, as his campaign against graft has struck a chord with many Indians.
On Thursday, the 74-year-old former army driver agreed to a police offer permitting him to go on hunger strike. He had previously vowed to remain in custody unless he was permitted to resume the protest, which triggered his arrest.
Chanting crowds
"We attained freedom [from the British rule] in 1947. But after 64 years of independence, we still haven't achieved complete freedom," Mr Hazare told his supporters outside the jail. The crowd chanted "Bharat mata ki jai [Long live mother India]", at times drowning out the campaigner' s words.
Mr Hazare boarded an open truck, which will stop at various landmarks in Delhi before heading to the Ram Lila Maidan. The truck will first stop at Rajghat to allow Mr Hazare to pray at the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi - India's independence hero. It will then go to India Gate, the martyr's memorial in central Delhi, where he will address more supporters, before finally heading to the park to begin his fast.
In a separate development, India's upper house of parliament on Thursday voted to impeach a high court judge on corruption charges. Soumitra Sen was found guilty by the Rajya Sabha of "misappropriating" large sums of public money while a judge at the Calcutta High Court. If parliament's lower house also votes to impeach him, Mr Sen would be the first sitting judge to be removed from office in India.
Corruption scandals in India over the past year have sparked widespread public anger and calls for reform.
Mr Hazare's protest is aimed against what he regards as a watered-down anti-corruption bill introduced by the Indian government.
He was arrested hours before he was due to begin his fast on Tuesday at Delhi's JP Park, along with at least 1,200 of his supporters. The Congress-led government said the protesters had been detained because they had not accepted the police restrictions on the number of fasting days and participants.
The move sparked widespread protests across the country, including Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Calcutta and elsewhere.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has accused Mr Hazare of trying to circumvent democracy by demanding the overhaul of an anti-corruption bill. Mr Singh told parliament on Wednesday that Mr Hazare's hunger strike was "totally misconceived", but his speech was constantly interrupted by opposition MPs, many of whom jeered and shouted "shame".
The spontaneous outbreak of public support has become a matter of deep concern for Mr Singh's administration.
String of scandals
Mr Hazare has called the proposed anti-corruption legislation a "cruel joke" and has described the fight against corruption as the "second war of independence".
In April, he called off a hunger strike after four days when the government said he could help draft legislation to create a special ombudsman, or lokpal, an independent body with the power to investigate politicians and civil servants suspected of corruption.
The final version of the bill was presented in early August, but Mr Hazare and other activists rejected it because the prime minister and senior judges would be exempt from scrutiny.
India has recently been hit by a string of high-profile corruption scandals, which critics say is evidence of a pervasive culture of corruption in Mr Singh's administration.
A recent survey said corruption in Asia's third largest economy had cost billions of dollars and threatened to derail growth.
