Police in India ordered the release of a leading anti-corruption advocate from a New Delhi jail Tuesday after his arrest earlier in the day sparked mass protests across the country.

The activist, Anna Hazare , was detained just as he was set to begin a public hunger strike in support of tougher anti-corruption legislation. But he refused to leave prison, saying he would only walk out of jail if his demands to be allowed to continue with his protest without restrictions were met.

Authorities said the 74-year-old Hazare had not agreed to limit the protest to three days and no more than 5,000 people.

The activist had threatened to resume what he labeled a Gandhi-inspired “fast unto death” after complaining that a proposed anti-corruption bill introduced earlier this month would not sufficiently keep the prime minister or judiciary accountable.

In a statement released after his detention Tuesday, Hazare vowed to continue the protest movement, telling supporters that the “second freedom struggle” had begun. He urged them to keep the movement non-violent.

Both houses of India's parliament adjourned early over the controversy. The threat of possible paralysis now looms over the legislature, as an emboldened political opposition began accusing the ruling party of depriving protesters of their civil rights.

Meantime, police released more than 1,000 of Hazare's followers detained in New Delhi for defying the police order not to protest.

On Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh vowed that his government would take the “strictest possible action” to counter corruption. He also appealed to Hazare to abandon his hunger strike, saying those who disagree with the government should not resort to protests and hunger strikes, but instead make their views known through parliament, political parties and even the media.

Leaders of India's ruling Congress party on Tuesday repeated their assertion that parliament is the only acceptable venue for drafting new legislation.

Popular outrage over corruption in India has grown steadily over the past year as reports of one high-profile corruption scandal after another have made headlines in national media. They include the sale of telecommunications licenses at below market value and numerous financial irregularities in India's hosting of last year's Commonwealth Games.