New Delhi, Aug 26 (IANS): At least five people were taken into police custody outside the Ramlila Maidan here Friday night after they manhandled policemen and tried to enter the Anna Hazare fasting venue through the VIP gate.

At least one Delhi Police personnel was injured in the melee, which started with verbal duel between a group of drunk youngsters and two policemen deputed outside one of the six gates of Ramlila Maidan.

The ruckus started when a group of 10 to 12 drunk youngsters arrived outside the Ramlila Maidan. They sat on the pavement with 10-15 Anna Hazare supporters and started raising slogans from outside the Ramlila Maidan.

Suddenly, the drunk youngsters, who were not Anna Hazare-supporters, started verbal duel with the two policemen deputed outside the VIP gate. One of the youngsters bit the policeman at his back and attacked him with a stick.

As the two police personnel rushed inside the VIP gate, these youngsters started throwing stones at the gate and on other policemen.

These youngsters forcefully opened the VIP gate being guarded by police. When other policemen tried to pacify them, they started abusing and hitting cops.

Police opted to take at least five of these youngsters, identified to be residents of nearby Darya Ganj area, into its custody and took them along for medical examination.

Around 2,000 Anna Hazare supporters were present at night inside the Ramlila Maidan where the 74-year-old social activist is fasting for last 10 days for a stringent anti-corruption Jan Lokpal Bill.