Hundreds of IJT activists gathered at the Mall Road in Lahore to protest the government's failure to arrest the killer of Muhammad Awais, a Law College student.
The Punjab government has imposed a ban on all public meetings on the Mall Road. The road became a battleground as police used batons to disperse the protesters.
About a dozen students suffered minor injuries during clashes with the police.
"We arrested 54 IJT members for violating the ban on public gatherings on Mall Road," police spokesman Niyab Haider told PTI.
He said a case had been registered against them.
Awais was killed a couple of days ago by his classmate following a dispute over the allotment of a hostel room.