Protest by students forced power minister Mrinal Banerjee and the minister of state for labour, Anadi Sahu, to walk out of a missionary school where a state government programme was organised on Tuesday.

The two ministers went to Collins Institution, on Lenin Sarani, around 11am to attend a state-level workshop of the Association for Skill Development Training Provider. The management of the school, run by the Methodist Church, had planned to host the programme in the assembly hall.

The students who gathered in the hall for their morning prayer were told by the authorities that the prayer session would not be held because of the programme. A section of teachers and students started to demonstrate in front of the hall, demanding cancellation of the programme.

Around 12.30pm, Banerjee and Sahu decided to leave the premises. The programme was cancelled. “We can hold it some other day. You can go to your classes,” the ministers told the students before leaving the school.

The teachers alleged that the church authorities had planned to hand over a part of the premises to a realtor and hosting Tuesday’s programme was the first step. Norton Emanuel, the school secretary, said the church had no intention to use the school premises for commercial purposes.

“A large part of the school is dilapidated. We are trying to set up a vocational training centre and a business management institution in the unused portion. Today’s programme was planned to highlight the usefulness of some of the government-run vocational courses that are going to be offered by the vocational training centre,” added Emanuel.