Scuffles broke out Sunday as female security guards of Taif University tried to disperse about 1,000 girl students who staged a sit-in after being turned away on admissions day. Red Crescent teams treated one girl's female guardian who was beaten up by the security women, witnesses said. Security agencies of the governorate were called in to restore order after the squatting girls and their guardians blocked the streets in front of the university gates. Dr. Hisham Al-Zeer, Dean of Admission and Registration in Taif University, denied any foul play in closing admissions. He said the girls – all of them school graduates – may register as part-time students or join the community college. But Muneer Al-Otaibi, Abdul Aziz Al-Otaibi and Abdullah Al-Thumali – all guardians – alleged that students who scored less than the required marks were registered during the past week. Witnesses said some girls and mothers fainted from remaining under the scorching sun for hours. The scuffles broke out when the security guards in front of the university intervened and tried to calm the girls down, the witnesses said Security men from the university also assaulted a press photographer and confiscated his camera.
