The Mandhu College in capital city Malé has condemned the vandalism on its property and recent protests that ‘threaten the safety’ of its students.

The college said this in a statement on Tuesday, where it maintains that the institution is ‘one of education, not of politics’.

The statement also denounces the verbal and physical attacks as ‘cowardly’ and called on those responsible to further refrain from any such action.

The glass door at the entrance to the college premises was on Tuesday shattered. The incident was reported at 1:39am.

On Monday morning, a group of men had disrupted the college staff and forcibly kept them from opening the college premises. That evening, a number of demonstrators had gathered in front of the college calling for it to be closed down and its chairman arrested for ‘apostasy’.

Chairman Ibrahim Ismail has been embroiled in controversy after local sensationalist news website Vaguthu published a report about his alleged criticism of Islam.

Vaguthu claims Ismail slandered the prophet Muhammad in a tweet, although he says his comments have been taken out of context and 'twisted'.

Ismail was last week interrogated by the police and Vaguthu's article has caused considerable discussion online.