Anna supporters wave the National Flag but throw traffic rules to the wind and forget to wear helmets, at Beer Chand Patel Path in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Aug. 16: A visitor to Kargil Chowk around 10 this morning would have witnessed a strange scene. A five-year-old boy, covered in a cloak with anti-corruption slogans imprinted on it, stood on the road with his arms outstretched.

He was not staging a street play. Instead, he was protesting against social activist Anna Hazare’s arrest in Delhi.

The venue, however, did not look any different from a street theatre festival. A number of groups had gathered in the heart of the state capital to raise their voice against the detention of Hazare, Kiran Bedi and other anti-corruption activists.

Residents of the city, who had to go to work, suffered because of the protest. Many were stuck in traffic snarls for long durations. “Even I am against corruption,” said Anand Kumar, a commuter stuck in a snarl. “But I have to go to work and I am stuck here because of the protest.”

Protesters, however, cared little for the inconvenience they caused. Political and apolitical groups, professionals and even cinema actors decided to take the opportunity to enter the glare of the limelight. By 11am, Kargil Chowk was chock-a-block. Several groups staged protests through slogans and songs. They played drums, sang patriotic songs and voiced slogans. Passers-by, whose auditory senses were assaulted by the cacophony of slogans and car horns, were not impressed.

Children join anti-corruption protest at Kargil Chowk in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

But that hardly mattered. Actor Manoj Tiwary’s arrival at ground zero added to the pandemonium.

Personnel from Gandhi Maidan police station tried hard to control the situation. But unsuccessful in their attempt, some of them found a shade and decided to rest.

As the protesters were cooling down, the hullabaloo found new fuel. Around 200 BJP members led by some senior leaders reached the spot. They had marched through Dakbungalow roundabout after starting from the party office on Beer Chand Patel Path. They staged a protest for half-an-hour. The political leaders had, however, advised their drivers to pick them up from Kargil Chowk. So, cars soon started to arrive and ferry them away.

By afternoon, things cooled down. The protes- ters remained rooted to the spot, though.