Both houses of India's parliament were repeatedly interrupted Tuesday by protests from opposition lawmakers angry about the arrest of anti-graft campaigner Anna Hazare.

Hazare and some of his aides were detained earlier Tuesday to prevent them going ahead with a public hunger strike to demand stronger anti-corruption legislation, despite a police ban on the protest. Opposition leaders demanded a full debate on the activist's arrest, which opposition leader Sushma Swaraj said was unlawful.

Arun Jaitley, leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, said the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance government was 'murdering democracy.' "The government should rethink its position," said Brinda Karat of the opposition Communist Party of India - Marxist. Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters that she regretted the arrest but campaigners had to obey the law.