PESHAWAR, Nov 24: University campus police resorted to baton charge and tear-gas shelling for dispersing protest procession of the Institute of Management Sciences students, taken out here on Saturday against the university administration.

Nine of the protesting students were detained for a short time and were released later on. Protesting students have alleged that three of their classmates received minor injuries.

The students have been protesting against prevalent uncertainty about their future. They claimed that they had taken admission in the institute which belonged to the University of Peshawar, but now the university had given autonomous status to the IMS and they had not been given the degrees of the university.

The students claimed that if they were interested in private educational institutions they could have easily got admission in any of them, but they were interested in getting degree of the University of Peshawar. They said they had been cheated by the university administration.

The protest procession was planned after the decision of the university administration to shift the premises of IMS outside the Peshawar University to Hayatabad Township.

They alleged that the administration had placed their future at stake.

Eyewitnesses claimed that the students had decided to march up to the office of vice-chancellor, University of Peshawar, so as to apprise him of their grievances. However, they said the police tried to convince them not to move ahead.

To disperse the protesters, the police finally resorted to tear-gas shelling and baton charge. The protesters claimed that their procession was peaceful but they were victimised by the police.

The students have claimed that their protest would continue unless they were given proper guarantees about their future.

Previously, the IMS was a department of the university. Later on, it was bifurcated into Institute of Management Sciences and Institute of Management Studies.

The latter was retained by the university but the former was given autonomous status on June 12, 1999.

Various students claimed that they got admission in IMS, University of Peshawar, on self-finance basis and they were fully entitled to university degree.