Protest action continued yesterday at the University of the Free State after students rejected the university's response to demands that vice-chancellor Jonathan Jansen step down and that transformation at UFS be fast-tracked.
The university said it would review the demands.
This prompted students to make their way to the university's main building to remove a statue of Marthinus Steyn.
They were stopped when police dispersed them with stun grenades.
Students were chased into residences by private security guards shouting: "We've been too soft on you."
Student Representative Council president Lindokuhle Ntuli said if the demands weren't met they would continue the protest.
One student said: "We gave them our demands and they ignored them. We will continue until Jansen steps down because we don't recognise him any more."
Meanwhile, students at the North West University's Mafikeng campus were told to go home as the institution shut down the campus "indefinitely" in the wake of violent protests.
Students torched the university's science centre and a BMW car on Wednesday night.
Students claim that fires were set in retaliation for the fatal shooting of a student by private security guards during protest action that day.
However, university spokes-man Koos Degenaar disputed the claim.
"We have not received any formal statement from the police station that a student was killed," he said.
Degenaar said the trouble on the campus was started by students who were angered by the university's decision to dissolve the SRC and replace it with a new council.
"We had an inauguration of the new SRC and students opposed to that then started disrupting the event," said Degenaar.
Police spokesman Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said police had received reports of shooting but he was not aware of any deaths.
President Jacob Zuma strongly condemned the recent violence and destruction of property on campuses.
Zuma appealed to student protesters to act with utmost restraint yesterday.
"The burning of university buildings at a time when we are prioritising the education of our youth is inexplicable and can never be condoned.
"No amount of anger should drive students to burn their own university and deny themselves and others education," he said.
The SA Human Rights Commission announced yesterday it would investigate reports of racism between students and workers of the universities of the Free State and Pretoria .
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