Turkish police, protesters clash in Istanbul

Scuffles have broken out between Turkish police and a group of protesters who had gathered on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Reports say police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters on Sunday.

The demonstrations were originally planned to slam several urban projects by the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but they soon turned into a rally against the ruling party which is implicated in a corruption and bribery scandal.

Ankara has so far formally arrested 24 people under the corruption investigation, including the sons of Interior Minister Muammer Guler and Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan.

According to reports, managing director of state-owned Halkbank, Suleyman Aslan, was also charged with “corruption, fraud, trafficking in gold and embezzlement.”

Also on Sunday, Turkish authorities sacked an additional 25 police chiefs as part of the corruption investigation.

On December 19, Istanbul’s police chief, Huseyin Capkin, was sacked after dozens of people including the sons of Turkish cabinet ministers, the mayor of Istanbul’s Fatih District, and prominent businessmen, who are Erdogan’s allies, were arrested for inquiry over the alleged corruption.

The son of Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar, who was among those detained by the police, was released on December 20 after hours of judicial interrogation.

The Turkish premier has dubbed the inquiry a “dirty operation,” saying those behind the probe were seeking to form a “state within a state.”

Commentators say the operation is a challenge to the authority of Erdogan, who has pledged to root out corruption.

Erdogan on Saturday warned that he might expel some foreign ambassadors who are involved in “provocative actions” that could create tension in the country over the graft probe.