New Delhi:
Delhi Police today made it clear that Jantar Mantar is out of bounds for Anna Hazare's fast for a "strong" Lokpal Bill later this month, saying the venue has "little capacity" and no single organisation can be allowed to "usurp or lay exclusive claim" to it.
The Hazare Team, in turn, suggested four other places where they could sit in for protest from August 16, including Boat Club, Rajghat, Ramlila Maidan and Shaheed Park near ITO.
In a letter to Team Hazare, police said, it is imperative for the duration of the dharna to be specified as no single organisation can be allowed to usurp and lay exclusive claim to the place meant for holding demonstration or protest for an indefinite period of time.
"This space has to be shared equitably with others intending to hold peaceful protests and there are many claimants from all over India seeking to hold demonstration at Jantar Mantar site. This venue has little capacity and it would be difficult to accommodate the huge crowds expected by you and otherwise anticipated by the media, the letter said.
Countering this, the Hazare team wrote to Police Commissioner B K Gupta asking why they were being denied permission when a three-day protest organised by another activist Medha Patkar at the same venue had been given a nod.
They claimed that they had already intimated police that the proposed fast is going to be one-month long and it was "wrong to say" that they did not define the time-limit.
Jantar Mantar, located barely a few hundred metres away from Delhi's heart Connaught Place, is the hotbed of protests in the capital. Hazare undertook a fast there in April, which evoked nationwide support and forced the government to agree to formation of a joint committee to draft Lokpal Bill.
The Hazare Team was ready to come and discuss with the Commissioner any other alternative venue for the proposed fast but insisted that it should be within three kilometres of Jantar Mantar and well-connected by bus and metro.
"Though we are not convinced with the reason for denial, if you feel that Jantar Mantar Road is inadequate for accommodating large number of people, we are suggesting the following places in accordance of preference for the proposed fast. Jantar Mantar Road, Boat Club, Rajghat, Ramlila Maidan and Shaheed Park," the Hazare Team said.
Sources indicated that Ramlila Maidan may be the preferred choice of police.
Police had earlier indicated that it may not be possible for them to allow an indefinite protest at Jantar Mantar and suggested to Hazare that he look for an alternative site in the city's outskirts if he wants to go ahead with his protest for more than a day.
Police had asked the Hazare Team to clarify how many days they propose to sit on dharna and expected number of people who will gather at the protest site.
A senior police official said they have told the Hazare team that police could give permission to the Gandhian to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar if it is for a day which could see a participation of not more than 2,000 people.
Police also suggested that if he wants to continue with his fast, he could choose an alternative site like Burari, on the outskirts of Delhi, the official said.
Hazare had made it clear yesterday that he was not insisting on sitting on an indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar as for him, Jantar Mantar was not the issue but Lokpal is. "I don't want people to say that Anna is stubborn on this. Our issue is not Jantar Mantar, our issue is Lokpal," he said.