Sri Lanka, Oct. 1 -- The Colombo Chief Magistrate yesterday (30 ) rejected a request made by the Colombo 7 Police to issue an order preventing a protest planned by the Inter-University Students' Federation (IUSF) in front of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Instead of issuing a prohibitive order, the Chief Magistrate instructed the police to take action regarding the protest using the powers vested in the police.

The Colombo 7 Police had requested the order, citing that the IUSF was planning the demonstration over several issues, including insufficient facilities within universities and the refusal to lift class suspensions imposed on certain students.

The police argued that the protest was likely to cause traffic congestion, cr...