The student riot came as complaints grow among Chinese consumers, especially those from low-income families, who say they are struggling to afford the country's commodity price hikes.

Students rampage over school-meal price hikes.[www.315online.com]

Food prices have rocketed more than 70 percent so far, indicated a report by Caijing. This news followed revelations that the inflation rate hit a two-year high of 4.4 percent in October, outpacing China's target of 3 percent for the full year.

The government has ordered a host of policies to counter inflation, including ensuring supplies of vegetables and other stable commodities and providing more subsidies to families in need.

Given the lack of punishment of the students in Liupanshui, concerns have been raised about copycat cases, causing some education authorities to scramble in order to prevent any unrest. Colleges and universities in Beijing have been barred from raising the prices of dishes, and poor stu-dents are entitled to subsidies from both the municipal government and their schools, the Beijing News reported.

Shanxi Provincial education authorities asked local cafeterias to provide 1-yuan meal to students from poor families.

Mao Shoulong, a professor of administrative management with Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that there is a risk that others may imitate these students and a spate of such incidents will be triggered.

"Price inflation is not merely an economic matter," Mao said. "It is also political and social."

Statistics showed that mass protests in China increased from more than 10,000 to more than 100,000 from 1994 to 2007, according to a blue-paper book issued by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.