Over 1,000 villagers present as 100 copies of Lokpal Bill set on fire in Ralegansiddhi
Over 1,000 villagers present as 100 copies of Lokpal Bill set on fire in Ralegansiddhi
Even as flames ravaged about 100 copies of the Lokpal Bill yesterday, there was a simultaneous smouldering of passions allegedly among the protestors. Sources from the spectators on condition of anonymity said the situation had spiralled out of control as the agitators became hysterical.
All fired up: Anna Hazare and his supporters publicly burn copies of the
Lokpal Bill at ST Stand Chowk, Ralegansiddhiu00a0 yesterday. pic/ Ganesh
Bhosale
The agitation was the first official outburst against the bill in the country. Anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare's agitations are modelled on the lines of Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent principle. But according to spectators, the protests were not as peaceful as his earlier agitations. 
Heated action: Theu00a0 India Against Corruption members from the city
burnt 30 copies of the Lokpal Bill at Shaniwarwada at 5.30 pm yesterday
Some villagers from Ralegansiddhi, however, claimed that the entire agitation was peaceful except some people, who became frenzied while deprecating the Lokpal bill. 'Anna Hazare Aandhi Hai, Deshke Dusre Gandhi Hai,' and 'Anna Hazare Aage Badho, Ham Tumhare Saath Hai,' such slogans continued to echo through the village for over an hour.
Sarpanch Jaysingh Mapari of Ralegansiddhi, who was with Hazare in the agitation, also ruled out the charges and claimed that the entire agitation was peaceful and no untoward incident had occurred. "We have been warned by Hazare himself not to take the law into our hands at any cost," he said.
Media chaos
Mapari said there were some manhandling incidents among members of the electronic media at the spot where the burning of the bill took place. Everybody wanted to capture the scene in their respective cameras, which was not possible. "There were heated among the cameramen and some media persons. It was settled subsequently," Mapari said.u00a0
Peaceful in city
A similar burning of the Lokpal Bill took place at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. Over 100 activists of the India Against Corruption (IAC) from the city burned the copies of the bill before Shaniwarwada at 5.30 pm. "The programme was not planned but we decided to do it today after Hazare himself had burned the copies of the bill," B B Somani, convener, IAC, Pune, said.
Many supporters of the IAC were not aware of the incident till 7 pm.u00a0 "I have no idea of any such happening in the city," said Sandeep Khardekar, president, Creative Foundation, who supported the IAC agitation programme.
IMA support
With many social organisations, the city cell of Indian Medical Association is supporting Hazare's agitation. "Many members want to participate in the agitation actively, especially on August 16 when Hazare will start his indefinite hunger strike in Delhi against the government draft of Lokpal bill," said former IMA president Dr Sharad Agarkhedkar.
Hazare unwell
Anna Hazare (74) was not well when he came from Delhi to Ralegansiddhi on Wednesday noon. "He was suffering from acidity and dizziness," one of his supporters said. "He only spoke for 15 minutes after the burning of the Lokpal Bill agitation. Anna promised us that he would be fine after consuming some Ayurvedic medicines. He doesn't like to consult doctors for such minor complaints."
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