Protests are sparked by religious discussion at a private institution in Peshawar.

PESHAWAR: Following a contentious discussion about a religious issue, many students from a private degree college here organised a protest march on Friday. On the Ring Road, the irate students stopped the busy Jamil Chowk. They also damaged the college buses and broke the windows of their students’ classrooms.

When things got out of hand, a sizable police detachment arrived at the campus. Students were captured on camera destroying classroom windows with bricks and stones in videos that were posted to social and traditional media. Additionally, a few pupils suffered minor injuries.

The college’s management announced in a statement to the media that the students became aggressive following a dispute over a sectarian matter. When the students were demonstrating outside the campus, some miscreants allegedly joined them, inciting them to violence. The message threatened expulsion from the college for any student or staff member who was discovered to have incited the violence.