About 1,000 people detained; villagers bring animals with names of ministers written on them to demonstration

Residents of Ralegansidhhi chose to protest against Anna Hazare's arrest in Delhi yesterday in an all-inclusive manneru00a0-- they even brought their cattle to the demonstration, painting the names of UPA ministers on the animals.

By evening, 997 protestors had been detained, including Ralegansiddhi Sarpanch Jaysingh Mapari and former MLA Babasaheb Pacharne.

As news of the arrest broke in the anti-corruption crusader's village, thousands of locals, including school-going children, assembled on the Shirur-Parner road with their herds of cattle and bullock carts.

The residents appealed to the administration to release Hazare. Schoolchildren were quite vocal in their support for Hazare. They said Hazare's arrest showed how the government was trying to stamp out peaceful protests in a democratic country.