The school's manager Fr Joe Pereira told Express Newsline that classes were in progress when about 20 men and five women barged into Principal Arlene Noronha's office and demanded that their children be admitted to the junior kindergarten. Claiming they had letters of recommendation from a politician, they demanded that their applications be accepted, Fr Pereira said.

When Noronha refused, the group grew agitated and forced her to enter Fr Pereira's office. Once inside, they smashed the glass on the table, yanked down the fan and disconnected the telephone line.

``We were so scared that Arlene Noronha, Sister Gerandine and I had to take shelter in the adjoining room and lock ourselvesin. Still, one of the intruders managed to slap Sister Gerandine on her cheek. One of the others also picked up the telephone and dialled one `dada', Fr Pereira said. The commotion, which took place on the first floor, caused apprehension among students.

``I tried to reason with them and even said the principal was agreeable to discussing the matter provided only two of them remained in her office. I also pointed to notices on the board saying that we do not accept recommendations from anyone for admissions. Students are admitted strictly on merit,'' Noronha said.

Another priest at the school, Fr Simon Lopez, explained the school had received about 500 to 600 applications for admission to the junior kindergarten while it has a capacity of 156 students.

Police said the five persons arrested today are residents of the nearby Worli Village. They are: Harish Worlikar, Sunita Patre, Anita Patil, Abhijit Patil and Rajendra Bhonsale. Sub-Inspector C A Chorge said the accused have been arrested under Sections131, 141, 147, 323 and 427 of the IPC. Investigations are underway to identify the others involved in the attack, he said.