Students, parents block roads to protest Kolkata school shutdown

Traffic movement in the eastern metropolis was badly hit on Wednesday as students of a school and their parents blocked roads for around four hours in protest against the authorities' decision to shut down the institute ahead of annual examinations.

The students of Central Model School and their parents joined hands and formed human chains to block passage of vehicles in Beck Bagan in southeast Kolkata where the school is located.

"As per a Supreme Court order following a legal battle between the landlord of the school premises and the management, the school will be moved to another location. So the school was shut down at its present location in Beck Bagan," a school official said.

However, since the closure affected the final exams, the students started blocking roads and protesting around 11 a.m, the official said.

"We have not yet received possession of the new premises in Entally area. So the students and parents approached us to conduct exams in the original building," the official said.

As police were brought in to reason with the agitators and control the situation, a scuffle broke out between police officials and parents.

The agitation affected daily commute on the major thoroughfares connecting northeast Kolkata to the south and central business district.