Turkey's opposition party has urged supporters to take to the streets for peaceful demonstrations against the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor and top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 53 people were detained and 16 police officers were injured in protests that began at university campuses and elsewhere.

Turkey's government criticised a call from the main opposition leader for people to take to the streets to protest what they say is the undemocratic detention of Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, as thousands demonstrated across the country.