“I regret that reporters were caught up in the altercation and that the provocation and the subsequent scuffle took place,” he told FMT.

A scuffle broke out opposite a restaurant at the entrance of Universiti Malaya (UM) where Najib was speaking at a dialogue with students.

Less than a dozen students held placards condemning and poking fun at Najib when they were attacked by several Umno supporters, including Supreme Council member Lokman Noor Adam.

Lokman was captured on video ripping apart a poster held by a student, with a caricature of a clown resembling Najib, but said he had the right to do so.

Former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin also criticised the behaviour of the Umno supporters.

“Umno must condemn this thuggish behaviour,” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Bernama reported Education Minister Maszlee Malik as saying that he wants the authorities to probe the scuffle and take appropriate action.

Expressing his regret and disappointment over the incident, Maszlee said that a university is not the place for gangster-like behaviour.

“Undergraduates should not be ashamed. We have a responsibility to society. We must keep fighting hooligans and speak the truth.”