Std VII, VIII and IX students of YMCA Maharashtra English School at Rasta Peth were in for a shock last afternoon. The school authorities had taken up a new job, that of clipping students' flowing manes.u00a0

About 55 students were called just before classes got over around 3.30 pm and were forced to cut their hair short.

A parent on request of anonymity said her son was forced to get a haircut. "The school had warned students to keep their hair short. Around 3.30 pm, they called the students to the ground where a barber was waiting and they had to get a haircut. They did not even inform us," said the parent.

She said her son was growing his hair for a relative's wedding and his hair was cut unevenly. "My son is so upset that he has refused to accompany us to the wedding. They can not just give any haircut to our kids," she said.

When parents protested, the authorities warned them that their children could be rusticated. Helen Korabandi, the school principal, was unavailable for comment.u00a0