Turkish police detain 97 students over university protest

Istanbul: Turkish police detained 97 students on Tuesday in Istanbul's Bogazici University over a protest against an Islamic preacher's conference on the campus, the city's governor said.

The students were protesting against a conference by Nureddin Yildiz, an Islamic preacher who is known for his controversial views on early marriages. The conference was organised by a student club of the university.

A total of 97 students were detained when they tried to break a police barricade on the campus, Istanbul governor Davut Gul said late on Tuesday, adding that 13 police officers were injured when they fell into a five metre (15 feet) construction pit during scuffles.

University students have been at the forefront of protests in Turkey in recent months over the detention of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival.

Students and teachers at Bogazici have protested regularly in recent years against what they say is government interference in academia.