Madhyamik examinees in Siliguri celebrate Holi on the last day of the exam. A Telegraph picture

Islampur, March 5: Police today lathicharged a few examinees after they assaulted invigilators at a Madhyamik centre here.

The students had been told not to resort to unfair means during exam.

More than five persons, including two policemen and a teacher, were injured. The three had to be admitted to the Kanki health centre.

Trouble started when the teachers at Suryapur High School in the Chakulia police station area protested against a few examinees adopting unfair means while solving the mathematics paper on the last day of the Madhyamik exam. After being told not to cheat, the examinees reportedly did not create much trouble till the end of the three-hour exam. But as the final bell rang, the students attacked the “strict” teachers, who had to take refuge inside a classroom, a source said.

The rampaging students were soon joined by a few outsiders and within minutes, the place turned into a battle field, with stones and other missiles being hurled from all sides, the source added. The office of the headmaster and a few other rooms were reportedly ransacked.

Only after a large police team, led by subdivisional police officer (SDPO) Ujjal Bhowmik, appeared on the scene and resorted to lathicharge than the mob dispersed, the source said.

Mainul Hossain, an examinee, alleged: “During the exam, a teacher accused one of our friends of cheating and took away his answer script. He kept it with him for a while, not letting him write for some time.” After the exam, the students went to the teacher to ask for an explanation, said his classmate, Sazzat Hossain. “An altercation did start, but the school authorities called the police unnecessarily. The personnel resorted to lathicharge unprovoked,” Hossain said.

A teacher of the school, however, said “mass cheating” was going on and a protest from the authorities sparked the trouble. Teacher-in-charge Mohammed Quasim declined to comment.

Calling the incident “unfortunate”, district inspector of schools Subhasis Sanyal said he has sought a report from the school authorities.