The police allegedly used batons to forcefully clear Banaras Hindu University students protesting against the alleged molestation of a woman on campus last week, the Hindustan Times reported.

The police action late on Saturday against the women students protesting at the university gate and in front of the vice chancellor’s residence left several of them injured and led to more violence on the campus, The Times of India reported. Some students hurled stones and petrol bombs, targeting the police and paramilitary forces late on Saturday evening, the report said.

The college was due to close for festival holidays from September 28, but has been shut now. All residents of the girls’ hostel have been asked to vacate by 4 pm on Sunday. The college will remain closed until October 2.

“A lot of students arrived at the BHU’s trauma centre and the situation is tense, but there are no major injuries,” an official of BHU’s hospital told the Hindustan Times. According to the report, the students’ protests intensified after some officials asked why the girls needed to be outside after 5 pm, when they pointed out that the woman had been molested around 6.45 pm on September 21.

“The protesters were told any dharna or demonstration without prior permission is banned on BHU premises,” the Hindustan Times quoted the university’s public relations officer Rajesh Singh as saying. “Despite that, they didn’t leave and started using abusive language against the vice chancellor. Thereafter they were driven away by security personnel.”

Students at the university have been protesting since Friday morning. They have said that three boys had molested a female student near Kala Bhawan inside the campus on Thursday night, and that they were angered by the officials’ alleged insensitivity towards the incident. They have demanded strict curbs on harassing women on campus.