Thodupuzha (Kerala), March 26 (IANS) Mobs clashed with shopkeepers who refused to down their shutters in this Kerala town during a shutdown called by Muslim groups to protest alleged inflammatory questions in an exam of a private college here, police said Friday.

The question paper of second year B.Com degree Malayalam course at the Newman College here allegedly had references to the Prophet that the Muslim organisations termed as "misleading and inflammatory".

State Education Minister M.A.Baby said he has instructed Idukki district administration to register a criminal case against the teacher who prepared the question paper.

"The investigation will reveal if it was an error on the part of the teacher or if there was a conspiracy behind it," he said.

Thodupuzha is about 70 km from Kochi city. Meanwhile, the college has suspended the teacher and has apologised for the goof-up.

Student groups affiliated to the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League took out a protest march towards the college.

A large contingent of police is guarding the college and protesters were not allowed to come to the college campus.

Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has ordered an inquiry by Inspector General of Police B. Sandhya into the incident.