The deputy Ashanti Regional Police Commander ACP Ampofo Duku has stated that police officers were justified in brutalizing dozens of students of the Kumasi Technical Institute, which left about 20 of them on admission at the hospital.
The police have been widely condemned for losing control after they opened fire and tear gas to disperse the angry students.
Education Minister, Mathew Opoku Prempeh who also condemned the action called for investigations into the incident.
However, in an interview with Ultimate FM’s Isaac Bediako Justice, ACP Duku, challenged persons accusing the police of unprofessional conduct to back their claims with evidence.
“If people are accusing the police for being unprofessional then they must come forward and say what the Police did that constitutes unprofessionalism.
“If somebody commits an offence and is running away into his house, do you leave him? Had they not committed an offence, were they in their school and the police pounced on them…something might have taken place earlier and what took place was criminal.
“They caused damage to other people’s cars, assaulted other people and so police had to come in…so if police wants to arrest you and you resist arrest what should be done to you; because you are students you should be left untouched?” ACP Duku told Bediako Justice.
Over 20 students of KTI were hospitalized after the standoff with the police officers Tuesday night.
The officers were called in to ward off the students who were said to have been on rampage blocking portions of the Amakom-WAEC road.
They were returning from the Baba Yara Stadium after participating in the Inter schools competition in the region.
