Turkish police on February 1 detained 159 people at the latest demonstrations in Istanbul against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's appointment of a rector at one of the country's top universities, the Istanbul Governor's office said.

Students at Bogazici University in Istanbul have been protesting for a month. They object to the decreed appointment of Melih Bulu as rector, saying it is undemocratic. Erdogan has used a power he acquired on becoming Turkey’s executive president—following the country’s controversial 2017 constitutional referendum—to install Bulu. Bulu, who applied to be a candidate for Erdogan's ruling AKP party in a 2015 parliamentary election, is the first rector chosen from outside a university since Turkey’s 1980 military coup, Bogazici faculty members have said. Teachers at the university have also protested against Bulu's swearing-in.

Protesters chanting slogans such as "Police, get out" and "Universities are ours" clashed and scuffled with the police, Reuters reported.

In a statement, the Istanbul Governor's office said 159 people were detained for "not ending the demonstrations in front of the Bogazici University despite warnings," and added that an investigation had been launched.

Earlier, more than 100 police reportedly gathered at the main entrance of the campus. They allowed university students to enter, checking their IDs, but told others to leave, including several lawmakers, mainly from the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP).

Sidewalks next to the roads leading up to the university were fenced off. Minor scuffles broke out as some protesters began chanting and walking toward the police barricade.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), criticised the detentions late on February 1 on Twitter, calling on Bulu to resign to end "this ugly situation".

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, also from the CHP, said he would meet with Bogazici students on February 2 to hear their concerns.