350 protesters detained for picketing PM’s house

At least 350 protesters were detained Thursday night as they picketed the Indian prime minister’s house in response to a call by anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare, the Indian Express reports.

Hazare called for supporters to step up protests and bring street action to the highest echelons of government in a renewed effort to convince politicians to take up his suggestions for the creation of a powerful national ombudsman's office, or Lokpal.

Today, conceding to the popular leader in an effort to get him to end his hunger strike before his health deteriorates any further, the government has agreed to an open debate of not only its own draft legislation but also the drafts submitted by Hazare's group and another group of civil society activists from the same core that pushed through India's Right to Information Act several years ago.

To stop the raid on the PM's residence, police on Thursday put up barricades on all roads leading to the prime minister’s house, diverted traffic and shut down four nearby Delhi Metro stations that they suspected supporters could use to come for the protest, the Indian Express said.