Three students of a state-aided higher secondary girls’ school in Jalpaiguri locked the entrance to the institution on Monday morning after they were denied entry for being late.

The gate remained locked for around 45 minutes, after which the lock was opened and the students were allowed in.

Sources said students ought to reach Sunitibala Sadar Uccha Balika Vidyalaya by 10.45am. “We do not let the students in if they arrive late,” said a senior teacher.

When some students reached the entrance after the stipulated time, they were denied entry. This irked the students, and three of them, studying in classes IX, XI, and XII, resorted to protests. They managed to get a lock with the help of their guardians and locked the gate.

“We were late by barely four-five minutes, and yet, we could not get into the school. However, in the case of the teachers, there is no such rule. On several occasions, we saw some teachers walking into the school when the daily prayer was about to start. This is unfair,” said one of the protesting students.

When the girls locked the entrance and stood there, a person, suspected of being drunk, arrived. He introduced himself as a non-teaching staff member of the school and started shooting their videos.

With the gates remaining closed, the person suddenly climbed the boundary wall and jumped inside. This led to another uproar as the protesting students raised questions as to how a person, who was suspected to be intoxicated, could enter a girls’ school in such a manner.

Later, it was revealed that the person was a casual cleaning staff member at the school.

The girls stood near the locked entrance till 11.20am or so, voicing their protests. This made some of the teachers intervene, and eventually, the lock was opened.

“The stipulated time is 10.45am, but we allow girls to enter even a few minutes after the time. But these girls were quite late today (on Monday) and so, they were not allowed inside,” said Sutapa Das, the headmistress.

Asked about the cleaning staff’s acts, Das said she would look into the issue.

The information also reached the district inspector of schools (secondary) of Jalpaiguri. Balika Golay, the DI (secondary), said what the students did was undesirable.

“The students should abide by the school’s rules and regulations. How can they lock the entrance to the school? This is undesirable, and they should refrain from such things,” said Golay.