Karnataka Right-Wing Leader, 2 Others Arrested For Poisoning School Water To Oust Headmaster From Minority Faith

Belagavi (Karnataka): Three persons, including a right-wing leader, were arrested for allegedly poisoning the water tank of a government school in Karnataka's Belagavi district to defame and oust its headmaster, who belonged to a minority community.

The incident occurred at a government school in Hoolikatti village, of Savadatti taluk, on July 14. As many as 12 students fell ill after consuming contaminated water. Due to quick action by the authorities, a potential disaster was averted.

Students of the school complained of feeling unwell, prompting the immediate hospitalisation of the affected children. During the inspection of the school, police were alarmed to find a bottle near the water tank.

District Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guleda said, "As many as 41 children are studying in this school from class 1 to 5, and the preliminary investigation revealed that no outsider had come and poisoned the school's water tank. Later, the police had instructed the teachers to interrogate the children. When the teachers interrogated the children, a boy told them that he had put juice in the tank that day."

He continued, "When asked who gave him the juice bottle, the boy said that it was given to him by Krishna Madara from the same village. When the police took Krishna, who is a driver by profession, into custody and questioned him, it was revealed that he had plotted to kill the children. During interrogation, the accused Krishna confessed that he had mixed three types of pesticides in the juice bottle and given it to the boy and told him to put it in the water tank."

Krishna confessed that Sagar Patil, the taluka president of Sriram Sene, and Naganagouda Patil from the same village had asked him to put poison in the water tank. "They had blackmailed him with some secret. He gave the boy chocolates and five hundred rupees to lure him and poison the water," the police officer explained.

Later, when the police took the two men Krishna mentioned into custody and interrogated them, the accused first claimed that they had nothing to do with it. However, upon further questioning, the accused revealed the truth. "The investigation revealed that Sagar Patil had brought three types of poison, put it in a juice bottle and handed it to Krishna," he said.

According to the officer, Suleiman Gorinayak, who had been working as a teacher in the same school for the past 13 years, became the target of Sagar. Sagar had hatched a conspiracy, thinking that the children would fall ill after drinking poisoned water. As a result, Gorinayak would be held responsible for the incident and would be dismissed from his job, Guleda added.

"When the boy was putting poison in the water tank that day, half of the poison spilt out. Also, the children became suspicious when they put the water in their mouths without drinking it and spat it out. Therefore, a major tragedy was averted without any loss of life," he explained. The accused Krishna Madar, Sagar Patil, and Naganagowda Patil have been arrested and sent to Hindalga jail.

'Communal hatred can lead to any heinous act'

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the Belagavi school incident, stressing law will take its own course. In an X post, he wrote, ''In Belagavi district’s Savadatti taluk, at Hoolikatti village’s government school, the headmaster, who belongs to the Muslim community, was targeted with malicious intent to have them transferred elsewhere. The taluk president of Sri Ram Sene, Sagar Patil, along with two others, has been arrested for poisoning the drinking water of school children. This incident, which occurred 15 days ago, left several children unwell, but fortunately, no lives were lost."

According to him, this incident is a testament to how religious fundamentalism and communal hatred can drive even the most heinous acts, such as attempting to massacre innocent children.

"In the land of the Sharanas, who proclaimed compassion is the root of righteousness, is it even possible for such cruelty and hatred to arise? Even at this moment, I cannot believe it," he further wrote.

According to the CM, BJP leaders, who "sow hatred in society in the name of religion to cook their political broth, must introspect". "Will Pramod Mutalik take responsibility for this incident? Will Vijayendra take responsibility? Will R. Ashok take responsibility?" he questioned.

He said to curb hate speeches and communal riots, his government has formed a special task force. "I still have faith that the number of people who wish to live together in harmony is a hundred times greater than the number of communalists," he added.

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