20,000 march from India Gate to Ramlila

This is one of the numerous marches that people have participated in since Hazare embarked on a second attempt to coax the government to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill on August 16.

Traffic came to a standstill around India Gate as those who were already there were joined by huge groups of Hazare supporters,who had made their way down from Ramlila Maidan for the march. Various splinter groups also converged at the venue from all sides. By 6 pm the number of people had crossed 20,000 and new groups were still coming in to bolster the numbers.

Several people who may not have had time on a weekday had come to spend the Sunday “fighting for the cause”. For some,it was a rare occasion for the entire family to protest over an issue.

“I was here two days ago when Anna Hazare was in Tihar,but my children have also come along today since it’s a Sunday and everyone is free. I absolutely wanted them to come since this is historic. This is probably the first time in post-Independence India that there’s been such a spontaneous movement for such an important cause,” said Anju Dubey Pandey from the Centre for Social Research.

Shailesh Sinha,a traffic expert who had come with his wife Neelima and six-month-old daughter Tarini,said though he had been part of the crowds since the time Hazare was in Tihar Jail,this was the first time that his family was joining him. “This is the first time we are coming since today is a holiday for us. We wanted to be here to support Anna because we want a corruption-free India for our children,” said Neelima.

Akshay Singh,a student at Amity Business School,had come with former classmates from school and was one of those who had come from Ramlila grounds to add strength in numbers for the march back. “I had also taken the day off yesterday to be at Ramlila grounds to support Anna. Many of my friends from college had also come,” he said.