Activists of CPI(M)'s student wing SFI scuffled with the police during a protest against alleged corruption and irregularities in West Bengal's education system, teacher recruitment scam and "interference" in the functioning of institutes by the ruling Trinamool Congress.

Hundreds of Students Federation of India (SFI) workers sat on an arterial road near Bikash Bhavan, the state education headquarters, in Salt Lake and tried to move past the guard rails put up by the police leading to the scuffle.

As around 50 protestors were taken inside prison vans and detained by the police, hundreds of fellow protestors blocked the four vehicles and threatened to continue the sit-in till they could hand over their demands to Education Minister Bratya Basu.

SFI state unit member Shubhajit Sarkar said they wanted to hand over the deputation to Basu and other senior department officials in a peaceful manner but were assaulted by the police.

"Many of our women members were beaten up by police," he alleged.

A police official said the protestors tried to violate prohibitory orders, obstructed the traffic movement and also tried to attack cops which forced police to use minimum force.

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