Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Tuesday that at least 1,200 people had been taken into custody in New Delhi as police acted to halt a hunger strike by a veteran anti-graft activist.

"A little over 1,200 or 1,300 people have been detained at different places," Chidambaram told reporters, adding that "we are not prohibiting a peaceful democratic protest".

He said the detentions had been due to protesters refusing to obey police conditions over the demonstration led by hunger striker Anna Hazare, who was among those held.

Police had told organisers that the high-profile rally at a public park in Delhi would be limited to 4-5,000 people and that it could only last three days.

Hazare's planned protest was to pressure the government into strengthening a new anti-corruption law.