They ransacked the office and the residence of Headmaster HM Fazlul Quader and kept him confined to the office.

However, the headmaster was rescued two hours later after the Kotwali thana police stepped in.

According to sources, several hundred students gathered on the school premises in the morning to protest the sudden closure of their coaching classes. They also met the headmaster and placed several demands, including resumption of coaching classes and supply of rich tiffin items.

As the headmaster refused to meet their demands, the student went berserk, vandalised his office room and locked the door from outside.

Then the agitated students rushed to the headmaster's residence, which was previously the school library, on the top floor of the three-storey school building and ransacked some furniture. They also pasted posters on school walls and took out a procession.

Acting on information, Kotwali police rushed to the scene and rescued the headmaster at around 12:15pm. They also assured the students of taking initiatives to meet their demands.

The students alleged that the headmaster, who joined the school in March 2000, has damaged the reputation of the 126-year-old school through corruption and nepotism.

They also said the headmaster has also gobbled up school funds, stopped many facilities for the students, failed to arrange examinations in time and supplied substandard tiffin items.

Even he turned the school library into his residence, they added.

Few days ago, about 35 teachers of the school submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner of Chittagong, bringing a number of allegations against the headmaster and demanding an investigation into those, sources said.

The headmaster was not available for his comments despite several attempts to contact him over his cell phone.