Dramatic scenes on Raisina, as Cong 'gherao' Parliament (2nd Lead)

Dramatic scenes were witnessed near the Shastri Bhavan close to Parliament as Youth Congress protesters came in thousands, agitating against the removal of SPG cover of the Gandhi family, demanding that the security cover be restored.

The protest against the government was led by Indian Youth Congress chief B. V. Srinivas.

IYC had planned to gherao the Parliament to protest against the 'ignoble and shameful act' of the BJP government which has decided to remove SPG protection of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

However, they were stopped on Raisina Road as they tried to go toward Parliament.

The Police had made adequate arrangements to stop the protesting Congress workers by setting up barricades. The Police also deployed water canon to stop the agitating Congress workers.

The youth Congress members also burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Many Congress workers were detained as Delhi Police shut gates of Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan, which house many ministry offices. The gates of the Central Secretariat Metro station were also closed.

Youth Congress members, shouting slogans that Modi and Shah will be responsible if anything untoward happens to Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, or her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were picked up and sent to the Parliament Street police station, where they have been detained.

The protesters jumped barricades in hordes only to be detained by the Delhi Police, who have had no respite from violent protests for the last two weeks, starting with their own officials, then students of JNU and now the Youth Congress members.

New Delhi DCP Eish Singhal told , "About 40 Congress protesters have been detained and sent to Mandir Marg Police Station."

He said, out of 40, 37 are men and three are female Congress youth workers.

Earlier in the day, the Congress raised the issue of SPG removal from Gandhis and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha.

On Tuesday, the Congress MPs walked out of the Lok Sabha along with DMK on the same issue.

On November 8, the Union government downgraded the security of the Gandhi family and handed it to the CRPF under 'Z plus' category.

The Congress has criticised the move, saying the government is doing it as a part of "vendetta politics".

To back its claim, the Congress cited the Justice J.S. Verma Commission report that said former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated due to security lapses.

( With inputs from IANS )