A section of the heads of government and government-aided schools organised a protest rally on Monday against the state’s decision to ask school authorities to ensure that students did not participate in any rally during school hours.

“The headmasters and headmistresses protested at the foot of the Vidyasagar statue in College Square on Monday to stop the voice of the spontaneous protesting students of the state’s educational institutions, who came down on the road to demand proper and speedy justice for the 31-year-old junior doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital (found raped and murdered on August 9),” said a release issued by the Advanced Society for Headmaster and Headmistress.

The district inspector of schools in some districts had last week issued a memo to the heads of the institutions asking them to explain why such rallies involving students and teachers had taken place and that it is a “violation of child rights.”

“It has come to our knowledge that a rally has been organised during school hours by the teachers and students of your school...Such activities put students under threat as it is not safe and this is violation of child rights...you are show caused to explain why such activities happened involving the teachers and students of your school,” said a memo from the Howrah district inspector of schools.

The general secretary of the organisation, Chandan Maity, said that students have a right to protest.

“The suppression of the voice of future citizens...is a suppression of the voice of democracy. After school hours, if students of educational institutions participate in a procession, why will the responsibility come to the head of the school,” said Maity.

A senior school education department official said such a memo is nothing new.

“It has been issued time and again to prevent children from participating in rallies,” said the official.

In 2011 the department had issued such a circular when it came to light that school students took part in a protest rally organised by the SUCI.