Anna Hazare holds silent protest backing CJP stir, urges Centre to hold talks | WATCH

Ahilyanagar: Social activist Anna Hazare on Thursday staged a two-hour silent protest in Maharashtra's Ahilyanagar, expressing solidarity with the students demonstrating in Delhi.

Hazare observed the maun andolan from 11 am to 1 pm at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Ahilyanagar before returning to his village, Ralegan Siddhi, in the same district, according to his aide Datta Awari.

The protest came a day after Hazare wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing reports of violence and police action against the protesting students as "extremely painful".

In his letter, Hazare urged the Centre to view the students' anger "not as a law and order problem, but as the agony and expectations of society".

He also said that if Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were asked to step down, "it will not cause the government to fall; rather, it will make its functioning more accountable and effective".

Hazare appealed to the government to engage with the protesters through dialogue, urging it to "listen to them patiently, create an atmosphere of trust, and find solutions through positive dialogue".