PESHAWAR, Jan 25: The police on Saturday resorted to baton charge, fired tear gas shells and arrested nine more students of the Islamia College during a protest demonstration in front of the press club.

The students, under the banner of Muttahida Tulaba Mahaz (MTM), were protesting against, what they called, the anti- student policies of the college administration.

They assembled in front of the press club and blocked the main road after setting on fire the tyres, but the officials from the East-Cantonment police station reached the spot and in an attempt to disperse them fired tear gas shells.

They also baton-charged the students and arrested five of them. Later, the students went to the secretariat office to meet Senior Minister Sirajul Haq to apprise him of their problems. The police rushed there and after beating them arrested four more students.

The students of the Islami Jamiat Tulaba told Dawn that they would continue the protest till the acceptance of their demands. They said that so far more than 35 students of the MTM had been arrested during the last three days.

They claimed that about 20 students each could be accommodated in the 12 hostels of the college, but the administration, despite a lapse of three months, failed to accommodate them.