KOHAT, June 25: A local court here on Saturday granted bail to 233 students and sent 16 other arrested students of the Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST) to prison for ransacking the offices during their protest a day before.

A jirga of elders, meanwhile, was also convened to resolve the issue amicably. Later, speaking at a press conference at the residence of former MNA Javed Ibrahim Paracha, the jirga elders expressed grave concern over the thrashing of male and female students by police and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.

Besides Mr Paracha, the jirga was attended by secretary general of business action committee Israr Shinwari, local Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf president Saadullah Khan, Kohat Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Manzoor Ahmed and JI local amir Abid Khan.

They demanded immediate removal of the KUST vice chancellor and suspension of policemen who used force against the students.

Earlier, the police had nominated 24 student leaders in the case on the complaint of assistant registrar (legal) Masood Shah of which only 16 were arrested.

In all 300 students had been held responsible by the university for tearing apart question papers of candidates of the annual examinations and ransacking the offices, but only 24 students were nominated in the FIR registered at Jarma police station. They included Sohail Ahmed, Sajid, Mujahid, Omair Paracha, Omer Hayat, Maaz Paracha, Sultan, Aleem Paracha, Adnan, Muslim, Ahmed Paracha, Pir Haider, Jalil, Farhad, Noorul Islam, Shahid, Aamir Bangash, Fahad, Imran, Haroon, Wazir, Hamid Subhani, Ishfaq and Hamid Rafi.

The police, on the orders of the vice chancellor of KUST, had resorted to baton charge and firing tear gas shells at the protesting students, who had blocked the University Road for release of their three colleagues on Friday.