Ramlila Maidan crowd dwindles as protesters return to work

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

The past three days saw the Ramlila Maidan jampacked from morning, but the scene was different today as there were less number of people at the ground as people returned to work after the weekend and a holiday yesterday.

A volunteer said Tuesday being a working day, they do not expect people to turn up. "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 every day. 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 tricolour and Team Anna giving the crowd tips on Jan Lok Pal Bill was all there.

Meanwhile, activist Arvind Kejriwal today 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 said here.

Supporters gathering outside the residences of ministers and MPs should refrain from individual attacks, he said.