Students of Government High School Ranabigha in Nalanda district vandalised the institution's property on Monday after their excursion was cancelled at the last moment.

The students retaliated to the order by breaking desks, benches and flower pots before blocking NH-31 near Biharsharif for an hour. Thereafter, police intervened and removed them.

The excursion was to take students to tourist places under the Mukhyamantri Paribhraman Yojana.

District education officer (DEO) Yogesh Chandra Singh, taking cognisance of the incident, suspended school principal Vishwamohan Kumar and Kumar Dhananjay, a teacher.

The DEO told to The Telegraph: "Based on the inquiry and complaints made by students and some teachers, we have come to know that school had not taken students on excursion trips to tourist places for the past three years."

"The school principal has been suspended for negligence of duty. Dhananjay has been suspended for instigating students to resort to violence. FIRs have been lodged against both the principal and the teacher," he added.

Nalanda district magistrate Tyagarajan S.M. has directed the DEO and the sub-divisional magistrate to probe into the incident.

The scheme, a brainchild of chief minister Nitish Kumar, was launched in 2007 to give exposure to students. Under the programme, government school students are taken for excursions to historical places every year to educate them on the state's rich culture.

The programme entails a dole of Rs 20,000 to every school every year to meet travel expenses and food for students.

The students argued it was not the first instance of their excursion getting cancelled at the last minute without any valid reason.

They also complained about the lack of infrastructure, including lack of drinking water facility, in the school. The pupils were supposed to visit various tourist spots in Nalanda district this time.

Sources said the incident occurred in the morning, when more than a hundred students of classes VIII to X assembled on the school premises for an excursion. After waiting for more than an hour, the school administration informed the students that their excursion had been cancelled and that fresh dates will be announced later. The students started raising slogans against the principal and other teachers before vandalising school property.

Sarita Kumari has been appointed the principal in-charge of the school.