Thaindian News

Mumbai, April 8 (IANS) At least 50 people, including senior citizens, Friday joined the ongoing relay hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan even as students, office-goers and celebrities expressed solidarity with Anna Hazare who is on a fast unto death in New Delhi.

Bollywood personalities Pooja Bhatt, Urmila Matondkar, Shabana Azmi and Farhan Akhtar joined the hunger strikers.

Urmila Matondkar told reporters that they came to express solidarity with the people agitating in support of Hazare and hoped that the youth would be inspired for a corruption-free future for the country.

Shabana Azmi, a former Rajya Sabha member, said this was people’s struggle and it was truly heartening to note that the masses have come out against corruption spontaneously.

Both the actresses joined over 2,000 citizens as they took out a silent candlelight procession at the Gateway of India.

A group of nearly 200 motormen of Western Railway and Central Railway also turned up Friday afternoon, carrying banners and placards supporting Hazare.

A top trade union official, however, said there was no plan for the motormen to strike work in any form. An official spokesman also said that they have not received any notice by motormen to strike work, as reported in a section of the local media.

Students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, will skip a meal Saturday evening as a token of support for Hazare’s campaign.

The students will wear black bands until the government accepts Hazare’s demand for implementing the redrafted Lokpal Bill.

An organiser of the protest demonstrations at Azad Maidan said they have advised people not to come to Mumbai, but continue their own protests in all cities, towns, district headquarters and villages in Maharashtra to convey Hazare’s message at the grassroot level.

Rallies supporting Hazare, protest marches and candlelight processions against the central government were taken out in all major cities like Nagpur, Pune, Aurangabad and Kolhapur as well as in all district headquarters.

In Yavatmal district, over 200 farmland widows also went on a token hunger strike in support of Hazare while a group of school students travelled to Azad Maidan in Mumbai to express their aversion against corruption.

The Shiv Sena has announced that it would launch a “jail-bharo” agitation across the state from April 12 if the government failed to concede Hazare’s demands.