Anna to leave Tihar at 10am, head for Ramlila Ground

New Delhi, Aug 19: Anna Hazare will leave Tihar jail, where he has been camping since Tuesday after his release, at around 10 am on Friday, Aug 19 to head for the Ramlila Ground which will be the site of his ongoing indefinte fast for a strong Lokpal.

"Anna will leave Tihar at around 10 am," his associate Kiran Bedi said today (Aug 19).

Hundreds of Hazare's supporters too have been camping outside the Tihar premises since Tuesday when the anti-corruption activist was taken to the prison after his arrest.

After two days of hard negotiations, the stand-off between the Gandhian and the government ended early today with the two sides agreeing that Hazare will undertake a fast for 15 days at the Ramlila Ground subject to certain conditions.

Hazare got from Delhi Police the spacious Ramlila Ground for his fast instead of the smaller J P Park. Significantly, Team Hazare made it clear that his fast would not be a fast-unto-death and he will be on hunger strike only till his health permits.

73-year-old Hazare, in a video shot inside Tihar jail, said the protests by "all my brothers and sisters, the elderly and the children" is giving him a "new energy" for his fast.

He said people were fed up of corruption and the government should not take long to bring a strong Lokpal Bill. Hazare, who is on the third day of his fast inside Tihar jail, also said he is not "tired" at all.

PTI