Taking authorities by surprise, Anna Hazare went to the Rajghat on Monday where he meditated for over two hours and chanted devotional songs braving light rains with his supporters ahead of his proposed protest against corruption from Tuesday.
Hazare spent about two and half hours at the memorial for the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi late in the afternoon when he "introspected" about some of the doubts lingering him as he was about to embark on his protest.
Catching police unawares, the 74-year-old anti-corruption crusader came to the memorial at around 4 pm after he confided with a close aide that he wanted to go to the Rajghat. Police rushed its personnel as soon as the news reached them. Hazare was later joined by civil activists and his associates Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan.
After Hazare reached the Rajghat, an estimated 5000 people gathered there to watch him and often broke into clapping and chanted 'bhajans' with him.
Later, Hazare told reporters that he visited Mahatma Gandhi's samadhi to introspect whether the country has attained real freedom or not.
Hazare and his supporters have been denied permission to stage their protest at Jai Prakash Narain Park by Delhi police.
