The Turkish police yesterday, Tuesday, arrested 97 students at Boyazici University in Constantinople for protesting the holding on campus of a conference involving a controversial Muslim preacher.

The students were protesting the participation in the conference by Nureddin Yildiz, a Muslim preacher known for his controversial views on early marriage. The conference had been organized by a university student club.

A total of 97 students were arrested when they tried to break through a police barrier on campus, Istanbul’s Davut Gul governor said late Tuesday night, adding that 13 police officers were injured when they fell into a five-meter-deep construction pit during the clashes.

In recent months, students have been at the forefront of protests in Turkey over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the main political rival of President Tajip Erdogan.

Students and faculty in Boyazi have regularly protested in recent years against what they characterize as government interference in university institutions.