Siliguri, Feb. 9: The Guardians’ Forum of North Bengal today confined the district inspector of schools (secondary) to his office for nearly two hours, demanding steps against Auxilium Convent for its alleged refusal to issue admit cards to studentswho had not cleared their fees.

The institution is one of the five English-medium schools in town accused of hiking its tuition fees exorbitantly.

“We have information from guardians whose wards are in the school that the authorities have asked them to bring the fee book,” said Sandeepan Bhattacharjee, the forum president. “They have also reminded (the parents) the regulation mentioned in the school diary that all dues should be cleared to ensure that a student gets admit card to appear in the annual exams.”

The guardians protested the move by the school as it was decided at a meeting on December 16 that the five institutions could not pressure the students or their parents before February 20 to clear the dues or debar him/her from appearing in exams. “We want the DI’s intervention and steps against the school,” Bhattacharjee said.

Around 4pm, half-an-hour after the agitation began, officers from Siliguri police station reached the DI’s office. The DI, Asit Chakraborty, by then, talked to his superiors in the school education department and also to the additional district magistrate of Siliguri.

After two hours of confinement, the DI wrote a letter to the school, asking it to adhere to the resolutions adopted in the December meeting in the presence of the two deputy directors of the education department.

“I have written a letter to the Auxilium Convent authorities, asking them to honour the resolutions and reminding them that they cannot force a student or guardian to pay the fees or stop him/her from appearing in exams,” Chakraborty said after the siege was lifted at 6.15pm.

Denying the charges, the school authorities said they were only following the basic regulation. “We have started distributing the admit cards yesterday as the final exams will commence from tomorrow,” principal Sister Mary said. “The students have been asked to bring the fee book to obtain the admit cards as has been mentioned in the rules written in the school diary. No student has been told that she would be debarred from appearing in the exams.”