The Karnataka Police recently arrested a Sri Rama Sene leader and his two accomplices for allegedly contaminating the drinking water at a government primary school in Hulikatti village under Belagavi district. Eleven children had fallen ill after drinking contaminated water last month.
The trio had allegedly laced the drinking water with pesticides as part of a conspiracy against the headmaster of the school, who belongs to a minority faith.
The three accused have been identified as Sagar Patil, president of the Savadatti taluk unit of Sri Ram Sene, Krishna Madar, and Magangouda Patil.
Bheemashankar S Guled, Superintendent of Police, Belagavi, Saturday said, “Some students detected a foul smell (in the water) and informed the headmaster and another teacher, which prevented a larger tragedy. Some of the students who had consumed the water experienced nausea. They received immediate medical treatment and recovered.”
According to a police officer, Sagar Patil was the mastermind behind the conspiracy. “He (Sagar Patil) wanted headmaster Sulaiman Gorenayak to be transferred or suspended. Gorenayak has served the school for 13 years and was on good terms with the villagers. After the incident was reported, the police began a probe. A soft drink bottle was found near the water tank, and upon checking, it was found to contain pesticide,” the officer added.
The police said they later found out that Madar had given a minor boy chocolates, condiments, and Rs 500 in lieu of emptying the bottle containing pesticides in the school water tank.
During interrogation, Madar confessed that Sagar Patil had discovered his relationship with a woman from another caste, and he had threatened to ‘expose’ him if he did not participate in his conspiracy. Madar and Magangouda Patil had allegedly purchased the pesticide.
A police officer said the minor will be a prosecution witness and receive protection from the law.
“We utilised scientific evidence and student interactions to solve this case. This was a planned, deeply disturbing attempt motivated by communal hatred,” SP Guled remarked.
CM’s reaction
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the poisoning attempt. Calling it a "heinous act driven by religious hatred and fundamentalism," he said the crime posed a grave threat to communal harmony.
"The headmaster of the government school in Hulikatti village, Savadatti taluk, Belagavi district, belongs to the Muslim community. With the malicious intent of having him transferred elsewhere, Sagar Patil, the taluk president of Shriram Sena, along with two others, has been arrested for poisoning the drinking water of school children. In this incident that occurred 15 days ago, several children fell ill, but fortunately, no lives were lost," his post read.
"Religious fundamentalism and communal hatred can lead to heinous acts, and this incident, which could have resulted in the massacre of innocent children, is a testament to that," he added.
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