Dozens detained at Serbia anti-government rally: minister

Belgrade: Forty two people were detained at an anti government protest in the Serbian city of Novi Sad where police fired tear gas to disperse the cro...

Belgrade: Forty-two people were detained at an anti-government protest in the Serbian city of Novi Sad where police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, the interior minister said on Saturday.

Several thousand people rallied in Novi Sad late Friday seeking early elections in the latest in a series of student-led protests across Serbia sparked by the fatal collapse of the northern city's train station roof last November.

The tragedy, which killed 16 people, was widely blamed on entrenched corruption, with protesters' demands for a transparent investigation growing into calls for snap elections.

"Students have one urgent demand: Call elections", read a large banner carried by the protesters on Friday.

After speeches the protesters marched towards the city's university campus where police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse them.