The administration later suspended an officer and ordered an inquiry into the incident.
All they wanted was more teachers for their village school. Instead, they got beaten and molested by the local police, say a group of children from Rajasthan's Tonk district.
Now, the girls - all between the age of 14 and 16 years - say they want justice. And they are in Jaipur to demand it.
The government senior secondary school of Churu village has only seven teachers for 300 students. As per government rules, there should have been 22. The worst-hit are the children who have to take board exams.
So on September 29, around a 100 students sat on a dharna in front of the school.
But the four policemen who came to break up their demonstration started beating them mercilessly without even giving them a hearing, the girls said. The policemen, they said, had even molested them.
A 14-year-old broke down while addressing the media. A police baton had landed on her leg, and she still has difficulty walking, she said.
"The police beat us very badly. They pulled our dupattas and pushed us around and even pinched us," she said. "They abused us and even threw a pouch of alcohol on us," added another.
But the police case that was registered later name the teachers and a few parents, accusing them of inciting the girls.
The administration later suspended an officer and ordered an inquiry into the incident.
"We will have an impartial probe into this. We will also see under what circumstances the lathicharge happened," said district collector Rekha Gupta.
"This is unacceptable," said Kavita Srivatsav, an activist of the non-profit People's Union for Civil Liberties. "The FIR against the teachers has to be taken back. How can they criminalise this incident? An officer has been sent to the police lines. But that is not enough, he should be dismissed."