Bengaluru:  Police on Tuesday said they had to resort to mild lathi-charge on students, protesting against the National Education Policy (NEP), as they tried to march towards Vidhana Soudha, where the legislature session is on, and caused inconvenience to public.

A group of protesters, mostly students who had gathered under the banner of Campus Front of India to protest against the NEP, tried to march towards the Vidhana Soudha and sat down on the road when the police tried to stop them, causing a traffic jam, police sources said.

Despite attempts by the police to convince them stating that they cannot march to the Vidhana Soudha and that prohibitory orders were in place due to the Assembly session, the protesters refused to withdraw and officials had to forcefully disperse them and drive them away in vans and buses.

Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah condemned the police action and demanded an apology from the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

"I condemn the lathi charge on students in Bengaluru for protesting against the implementation of New National Education Policy. Basavaraj Bommai should immediately withdraw NEP and apologise to the students," the veteran Congress leader tweeted.