An Indian anti-corruption activist began his hunger strike behind bars on Tuesday after he was arrested ahead of a planned protest in a public park in New Delhi.
Anna Hazare, 73, is demanding tougher laws to cut down on the widespread corruption that has mired the government in recent months.
He was arrested by Indian police on Tuesday for planning the strike and refusing to allow police restrictions on the demonstration.
His arrest sparked anger among his supporters and triggered countless protests across the country that led to thousands of arrests.
"Unless India becomes free from the corruption we will live in the jails," one angry supporter told reporters, vowing to continue protesting even if meant incarceration.
Hazare previously staged a four-day hunger strike in April, forcing the government to draft legislation to create an anti-corruption watchdog.
Tuesday's protest was intended to push for a stronger bill.
However, it was banned after Hazare and other organizers refused to meet the terms police were demanding.
Authorities sought limits on the number of days the fast would last and the number of participants who would take part.
"Protests are perfectly permissible and welcome, but it must be under reasonable conditions," said Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram.
He added: "Nowhere in the world is a protest allowed without any conditions."
Hazare had pledged to carry out the hunger strike regardless of the government ban, but was picked up by plainclothes police in an unmarked car before he could make his way to the park where the demonstration was set to take place.
In a pre-recorded message, taped in anticipation of his arrest, Hazare called the anti-graft movement India's second struggle for freedom.
"My dear countrymen, the second freedom struggle has begun, and now I have also been arrested. But will this movement be stopped by my arrest? No, not at all. Don't let it happen," he said.
After refusing to post bail on Tuesday, Hazare was taken to New Delhi's Tihar jail for seven days of detention.
Hazare represents the face of a swelling movement across India, where a growing segment of the population is fed up with a culture of government kickbacks and bribes.
The government is currently mired in allegations that India paid as much a $40 billion in murky deals surrounding the Commonwealth Games and related telecom licenses.
Meanwhile, the country's main opposition party is embroiled in a multi-billion-dollar bribery scandal involving the granting of mining contracts in southern India.
The scandals, and resulting public anger, have paralyzed India's parliament for weeks.
Thousands joined protests across India on Tuesday, expressing support for Hazare and criticizing his arrest. Many carried signs that said "Please Arrest Me" or others that called for a "Revolution Against Corruption."
Police arrested at least 1,200 protesters in New Delhi and more than 3,000 in Mumbai. Many were later released without being charged.
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