Man held for spraying herbicide on midday meal utensils, water at government school in Telangana

NEW DELHI: A tragedy was averted at a government school in Telangana's Adilabad district after alert staff discovered herbicide sprayed on utensils used for the midday meal and in the drinking water, police said on Wednesday. A suspect has been arrested in connection with the incident, which took place at the government primary school in Dharmapuri village, Ichoda mandal, they added.

According to police, the incident came to light on Tuesday when the cook noticed that the kitchen locks had been broken after the school reopened following a two-day holiday. The teacher and other staff detected a foul smell from the utensils used for the midday meal and noticed a white-coloured liquid in a bucket inside the kitchen, police said. Upon turning on the tap, they again sensed a foul odour. Growing suspicious, they checked the water tank and found a similar white-coloured liquid.

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Complaint filed by school authorities

The staff alerted the village sarpanch and others, who suspected that the liquid sprayed on the utensils and in the drinking water could be herbicide, police said. The school authorities lodged a complaint, and a case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), said Adilabad District Superintendent of Police Akhil Mahajan.

During the investigation, a man in his mid-30s was taken into custody, and herbicide was recovered from his house. The samples have been sent for forensic examination, the SP said. Preliminary investigation suggests the suspect may be mentally unstable due to family issues and committed the act, police added.