CHINA> Regional
Nanjing denies report of protest
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-21 09:50

Authorities in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, denied yesterday that university students had been victimized by "chengguan", or urban management officers, who were enforcing orders against sidewalk stalls.

"No university student was setting up sidewalk stalls on Monday night in the square (in Jiangning district)," the city's publicity security bureau said in a statement to China Daily.

Hundreds of students were reported to have protested following an incident on Monday night in which the "chengguan" allegedly attacked women university students who set up sidewalk stalls in the square.

The statement said no one was beaten or verbally abused.

"Some of the students had mistakenly thought that two people escorted from the scene by officers were students, which led to students and citizens forming a crowd," it said.