Anna Hazare spends night in Tihar Jail

New Delhi: Despite being offered release, Anna Hazare spent the night in Tihar Jail refusing to come out insisting on an unconditional release and permission to launch his fast at Jai Prakash Narain Park.

73-year-old Hazare, who is continuing his fast, is understood to have spent the night at one of the rooms in the Administrative Block of the jail premises along with his associate Arvind Kejriwal.

Hazare was offered released last night after the Delhi Police issued warrants of release for him and seven of his associates, almost 13 hours after they were picked up from the a flat in Mayur Vihar in east Delhi yesterday morning and remanded to seven days judicial custody.

The Gandhian’s aide Manoj Sisodia came out of the jail last night and said Hazare told the authorities that he will come out of the prison only after a written unconditional permission is given to continue his fast at Jai Prakash Narain Park, where he was to launch his hunger strike yesterday.

This morning, sources said, Hazare got up at around 5.00 AM and was involved in a discussion with Kejriwal and his other associates who are in the prison along with him. Sisodia today said that the “We don’t have any information on when he will come out.”

Outside the jail premises, hundreds of people stayed through the night and expressed solidarity with Hazare and his campaign against corruption.

R K Saxena, a school teacher, said: “I am here to support this great cause. Government must accept Anna’s demand for the welfare of the country.”