The students were protesting in Delhi's Old Rajender Nagar.
Dozens of students who were on protest in Delhi demanding another shot at clearing the tough civil services exam because of the COVID-19 pandemic were beaten up and dragged away from their demonstration on Tuesday evening.
Armed with sticks and riot gear, the police descended on the protest site in Delhi's Old Rajender Nagar - a hub of coaching institutes in Delhi where thousands of students go to study for the exams - and kicked out the protesters.
Around 40 of them were detained and released later, the police said, adding there were about 60 to 70 protesters at the location with banners and posters. The group did not have permission to protest in the area, senior police officer Shweta Chauhan said.
According to the police, when the protesters refused to budge and were seen preparing to pitch a tent and settling with mattresses, in front of the media, more policemen were called in to remove them.
Videos shot by the protesters showed them being beaten up and dragged away amid chaos and panic.
They said they had been demanding an extra attempt at the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam because many could not appear for it because of COVID-19, suffered deaths in the family and were infected by the virus themselves.
"I could not give the exam because I am a doctor, and I was saving lives during the pandemic. Now, they are beating us up. Is this how we should be treated?" Vidya, one of the protesters, told NDTV.
The protesters said that despite recommendations by a parliamentary panel and the fact that many other exams have allowed an extra year for coronavirus-affected students, the government has refused to grant UPSC aspirants another attempt.
"If the government can allow extra attempts to SSC GD (Staff Selection Commission - General Duty Constable) and Agniveer aspirants, why can't it make a similar provision for us? We are protesting peacefully," another protester, Garima, said.