Jammu, July 22 (IANS) Hundreds of students gathered here Friday to demand that a Central University, sanctioned more than two years ago, be set up in Jammu. The students were assaulted with canes by the state police to disperse the rally.

The students tried to take out a procession to press their demand for early setting up of the university in Jammu and appointment of the vice chancellor, but were stopped by the police.

The students alleged that police cane charged them, and beat them mercilessly.

Though the Central University for Jammu was sanctioned more than two years ago, it has not been set up because the union human resource ministry has not appointed a vice chancellor, and the one who was appointed declined to join citing personal reasons.

"The police beat us like anything. They used lathis brutally," said Pushpinder Singh, one of the student leaders.

According to him, several students were injured in the police cane charge.

Prof. Amitabh Mattoo, a former vice chancellor of Jammu University, was appointed the first vice chancellor of the Central University, Jammu, in December last year. However, a group of Jammu political parties opposed his appointment.

Mattoo, a strategic affairs expert, declined to assume the charge and instead opted for an assignment in Australia.

Now, Jammu groups have started demanding that anyone may be appointed vice chancellor, not necessarily a native of Jammu, but the university should be made functional at the earliest.