Anna Hazare shares jail with Kalmadi; Kejrewal with Raja

New Delhi, Aug 16: Anti corruption campaigner Anna Hazare will share space with A Raja and Suresh Kalmadi both accused in the high-profile scams in Tihar jail.

"Anna Hazare has been lodged in jail number four where Suresh kalmadi and Kalaignar TV Managing Director Sharad Kumar is lodged," Deputy Inspector General (Tihar) R N Sharma told PTI here.

Anna will be with his associates Rajesh, Suresh Pathare and Manish Sisodia in a cell of the prison which houses 2231 inmates.

Former Indian Revenue Services officer Arvind Kejrewal has been lodged in jail number one with former Telecom Minister A Raja and MD of D B Realty Shahid Balwa are lodged.

Navin, Dada Thakare and Pathare were accompanying Kejrewal in the cells of this jail which has 1543 prisoners. All the eight were brought at 4.15 PM and were quietly sent to their cells.

Hazare was taken to Jail No 4 in Tihar Central Prison where he will be lodged for the next seven days. His associates including, Kejriwal, Bedi and Manoj Sisodia, were lodged in Jail No 1. Noted lawyer Shanti Bhushan was also among those arrested.

Hundreds of supporters gathered outside Tihar jail after Hazare and his associates were taken inside the prison.

Shortly after Hazare's arrest, his campaigner Prashant Bhushan announced a series of agitational programmes, including a march from India Gate to Parliament on Wednesday evening and protest by supporters in Delhi streets.

He also called upon government employees to go on mass leave on Wednesday to show solidarity with Hazare.

As Parliament was disrupted by opposition parties which attacked government saying Hazare''s arrest amounted to "murder of democracy" and was a throw-back to the days of emergency, Home Minister P Chidambaram rejected the charge asserting that anyone saying he would defy prohibitory orders was unacceptable in a democracy.

Chidambaram said Hazare was arrested under Sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC because Delhi Police felt that he could commit a cognizable offence.

He said Lokpal was not a panacea for all the corruption taht existed in the country and government was taking a five- pronged action even after which corruption would still exist.

It is a battle that would be fought on various fronts and no one can dictate that either "my bill or no bill".

Noting that Delhi Police was ready to release Hazare on a personal bond if he would have given an undertaking that he will not defy prohibitory orders, Gupta said the Gandhian refused to do so.

PTI