The student representative council (SRC) of the University of the Witwatersrand has lashed out at management and police for allegedly using force to protect the status quo. In a statement‚ the student body said that about 31 students had been arrested on Tuesday morning in an attempt by university management to derail the movement.“Today‚ we face violence and police brutality of the worst kind. Early this morning about 31 students were arrested despite peacefully protesting‚” it said.“We have contacted legal assistance who will be fighting this unconstitutional court interdict. We will not be deterred by police brutality and this blatant attempt to clamp down on the student voice.”WATCH: 'We were shoved into the van like sardines’ - Wits students accuse cops of heavy-handednessArrested University of the Witwatersrand students taken to Hillbrow Police Station on Tuesday morning said they were squashed into police vans like sardines‚ unable to breathe.Through a court order‚ made final in April‚ the university has interdicted students from occupying university buildings or disrupting lectures and tutorials.The SRC also criticised the university's employment of private security to keep students in check.“Furthermore‚ black women students were manhandled and physically harmed by private security. A student also had their phone stolen by private security. It is clear that the university has invoked private security not for the safety of students but to protect the status quo onto our campus.Injuries and arrests as Wits beefs up security ‘significantly’Despite reports of arrests and unrest on Tuesday‚ the University of the Witwatersrand insisted that its campuses remained open.“The use of private security and police has agitated students the entire year‚ students who have been protesting peacefully. “Yesterday‚ we were denied access to Solomon Mahlangu House‚ where we had planned a mass meeting to pave a way forward. We were met with force when we tried to enter the venue.“This attitude is not dissimilar to the way in which our university management has victimised and suspended students indiscriminately.”Students at the Johannesburg campus started protesting on Monday in an attempt to shut operations down‚ following Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande's 2017 fees increase announcement.Nzimande had announced that universities must determine the level of fee adjustments for 2017 themselves‚ with the proviso that this should not be above 8%.Students arrested after Wits steps up security measuresThe University of the Witwatersrand was reportedly closed on Tuesday morning‚ a day after the resumption of fees protests.The SRC said that the minister had failed to address the demand for free education and deliver a plan for achieving it.“We have heard nothing from the minister about free education. He speaks of the relief a no-fee increment will bring for nurses‚ teachers‚ police‚ social workers and other working class parents‚ but what he fails to recognise is that universities are inaccessible for most households already.“We cannot allow our movement to be brought down to the superficial level of increments for some and not for others when overall our struggle is for free‚ decolonised and quality education.“We require a commitment‚ a plan and a timeframe regarding the implementation.”The university had‚ earlier on Tuesday‚ via various platforms said that security at Wits was being “increased significantly”‚ and insisted that its campuses would remain open and lectures and tests would continue as scheduled.– TMG Digital..