Police will set up a special task force (STF) to investigate postings in several blogs about the alleged police brutality when dispersing student demonstrators outside Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Tanjung Malim yesterday.

Perak police chief Mohd Shukri Dahlan said his men had concrete evidence to dismiss the allegations of brutality.

"Police photographers and cameramen were present to record the handling of the incident to show proof that police did not resort to violence, including injuring the students.

"As such, I have instructed a STF to be set up to counter these baseless allegations," Shukri said when contacted by Bernama in Ipoh today.

He said action would be taken against blogs that resorted to defaming the police over the incident to prevent lies about the police from being published in future.
    
Shukri said investigations also showed that the clinic damaged in the incident suffered losses of more than RM1,000.

Police had earlier denied that force was used to disperse the illegal assembly mounted by some 70 students, organised by student movement Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM) outside the UPSI entrance on New Year Eve.

While many Malaysians were eagerly awaiting the New Year countdown, students from several universities around the country assembled outside the UPSI entrance, demanding the abolition of the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971.

They also protested against any disciplinary action on UPSI student Adam Adli Abdul Halim, who had taken down a flag bearing the image of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak outside the Umno headquarters on Dec 17.    
 
- Bernama