PESHAWAR, Dec 23: The campus police on Tuesday resorted to baton-charge to disperse students, including girls, who were protesting against the destruction of a botanical garden on the campus.

The students, belonging to the botany department, were marching towards the vice-chancellor’s office to register their protest when the police action started.

“This has happened after 15 years that girl students have been beaten up by the police on the campus,” a senior teacher remarked.

One of the girl students, witnesses said, was also briefly taken into custody by the police. The students were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the university administration for its decision to demolish the botanical garden.

The enraged students demanded implementation of the governor’s directives, who had asked the administration to stop uprooting of trees.

The police also arrested 15 students, who were later released on the directives of Chief Minister Akram Durrani.

The university administration ordered the removal of the botanical garden on Monday morning to construct a block of the biotechnology department.

Peshawar University Teachers Association (Puta) President Arbab Khan Afridi, who also took part in the demonstration, sustained minor injuries on his head and arms.

Many students also received injuries who were taken to the hospitals for medical aid.

Later, students along with office-bearers of Puta and activists of some student organizations staged a protest demonstration in front of the Peshawar Press Club. They also marched towards the Governor’s House and the Chief Minister’s House to present a memorandum there.

This was followed by a march towards the NWFP Assembly building where MPAs Mukhtar Khan, Israrullah Gandapur, Zafarullah Marwat and Amir Rehman assured them of their support.

Later, an eight-member MPAs team visited the campus and met the students.

The university administration has meanwhile appointed Prof Farrukh Sair as the new chairman of the department of botany and directed the former chairman Rashid Khan to continue as a professor.

Puta President Arbab Afridi told Dawn that they would continue their struggle against the wrong policies of the university administration. “We would never allow the administration to build a new block at the site of the botanical garden. We demand that the police who resorted to lathi-charge on girl students should be meted out exemplary punishment,” Mr Khan said.

A girl student told Dawn that the students march was peaceful, but the police attacked them without any reason.

“But, we would carry on our struggle and would not succumb into pressure tactics adopted by the ruthless administration,” she vowed.