Jakarta – About 1,000 Indonesian students staged a rowdy protest outside the home of President Megawati Sukarnoputri on Thursday calling for her to step down.

Hundreds of police formed a cordon to stop the protesters approaching Megawati's official residence in central Jakarta.

A policeman was dragged into the crowd during the confrontation but it was not clear if there were any injuries, witnesses said. "The policemen beat the students back with batons," a witness said.

Student groups have been attacking Megawati's leadership since the government increased utility prices earlier this year.

The government rolled-back on the price rises in the face of protests but the rallies have continued with students blaming Megawati for failing to pull the country out of years of economic hardship following the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s.