Analysts, experts flay crackdown

“The way government arrested Anna Hazare was unconstitutional. Government could have avoided this by initiating talks with Anna Hazare and his team,” veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar told Deccan Herald.

Pralay Kanungo, Professor of Political Science at Jawaharlal Nehru University is also of the view that the best way to handle Team Anna was to involve them in dialogue for the formation of anti-corruption watchdog.

Kanungo, however, believes that the action of the government “has to be seen in the larger context of politics” because many of the anti-government forces are overtly or covertly involved in this movement, which government would not like to grow.

Notably, Anna Hazare, who was sent to judicial custody after his arrest in the morning by Delhi Police on the grounds of apprehension of breach of peace since he had announced to defy prohibitory orders to go on fast demanding strong Lokpal Bill is set to be released tonight.

Justice Rajinder Scahar, who also courted arrested despite disagreement with certain provisions of Jan Lokpal Bill drafted by Team Anna opined that the action taken by government is “unacceptable” and “anti-democratic”.