The air at Universiti Malaya (UM) was thick with defiance today as students gathered to rally against the university’s direct disciplinary punishment policy, which they described as a "clear suppression of power" and a "violence" towards students.

More than 100 students from various UM-based student groups, including Neosiswa, NewGen, Demokrat, Umany, SuaraSiswa, Siswa Malaya, and Liga Mahasiswa, staged a sit-down protest in front of the university’s chancellery today, calling for the complete withdrawal of the newly announced policy.