Crowds dwindle at Ramlila Maidan

The end of an extended weekend saw the crowd of protesters at Ramlila Maidan, where social activist Anna Hazare is on an indefinite fast, dwindling on Tuesday.

While the past three days saw the Ramlila Maidan jam-packed from morning, the scene was different on Tuesday, as there were lesser number of people at the ground as people returned to work after the weekend and a holiday on Monday.

A volunteer said Tuesday being a working day, they do not expect people to turn up in droves. "Last three days we saw a record crowd but today we don't expect such a crowd," said the volunteer, who pegged the number of people present at around 6,000.

The three-day holiday saw many families and youth thronging the Maidan where a carnival-like atmosphere prevailed. However, some protesters gathered at the ground said it was not fair to expect a big crowd everyday.

"It is wrong to say that we protest only on holidays. It is not possible for people to come here everyday. But I have come here and same is the case with so many others. It is not fair to say that people are not coming," said Himanshu Sharma, a sales executive from Gurgaon.

Though the hustle and the bustle at the Maidan was a bit less, the enthusiasm was not missing. Slogan shouting, waving of the Tricolour and Team Anna giving the crowd tips on Jan Lokpal Bill was all there.

Meanwhile, activist Arvind Kejriwal on Monday urged Hazare supporters not to break the law and maintain "decorum" of the movement. "We have seen some people breaking traffic rules while protesting. I would request everybody to obey law and protest peacefully and responsibly," Kejriwal told mediapersons.