Anna Hazare

You may have been hearing about this name in the news, as protests have been on the upswing in India in general. However, in Varanasi the protests are basically limited to university students (but some professors also). However, I have seen protests in the streets in the middle of the day (stopping all traffic- although it is also possible to do so if your bus breaks down). There is also a semipermanent booth in front of BHU which is manned even at 5:45 in the morning (today I went running pretty late) with signs that say iSupport Anna Hazare.

The basic story is that there is a bill allowing for impeachment of public officials that leaves out a lot of different important officials (judges, prime minister, etc). People want the bill to include more people, and that is why the protests are happening. These protests in particular also are because of a leading figure- Anna Hazare. He has been jailed for his protests. According to one of the people I talked to, it is the biggest political movement in India in the last 30-40 years. I also heard it be compared to the so-called “Arab Spring.” 

 

For the most updated news, I would recommend looking at the New York Times.