Indian Activist to Hold Anti-Corruption Hunger Strike

Posted June 7th, 2011 at 10:10 am (UTC-5)
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A veteran Indian activist says he will hold another hunger strike to protest corruption in the country.

Anna Hazare says the one-day protest will take place Wednesday in New Delhi. Police have denied permission for the gathering.

Earlier this year, the 72-year-old Hazare held a five-day hunger strike, which ended when the government pledged to form a committee aimed at passing a new tough anti-corruption law.

The hunger strike is a traditional form of protest in India and was used as part of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi's non-violence movement.

On Sunday, a mass anti-corruption hunger strike led by yoga guru Baba Ramdev ended with a police raid that left dozens of people injured.

That crackdown has been widely condemned.

India's government has been beleaguered by a series of recent anti-corruption scandals. The largest involves the sale of telecom licenses at below market rates, allegedly causing the loss of up to $40 billion to the government.