The Delhi Police on Wednesday prevented and detained scores of Youth Congress workers following a scuffle with police personnel during a protest against the arrest of the former Karnataka leader DK Shivakumar. 

The protesters burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah outside the Indian Youth Congress' office and raised slogans. While police barricaded the road leading to Parliament, a number of protesters tried to break through and jostled with police personnel. A senior police official, however, said 66 protesters have been detained but there was no use of force against them.

"A number of protesters were detained, forced into two buses and taken to Parliament Street and Mandir Marg police stations," Youth Congress' media in-charge Amrish Ranjan Pandey said. He claimed that some of the protesters were injured in police lathicharge and were hospitalised.

Youth Congress President, Srinivas BV, said, "The BJP Government is targeting Opposition leaders to divert attention from real issues of unemployment and economic downturn."

Srinivas, who met Shivakumar at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital here on Tuesday night, said the Karnataka Congress leader's health has "deteriorated due to the harassment he was subjected to over the last few days". The court should take cognisance of Shivakumar's health, he said. 

"First Chidambaram and now Shivakumar. Arrests are being made without proper investigation and proper evidence. The BJP is indulging in vendetta politics," Srinivas alleged.