Poison was added to the water tank of a school in Holikati village to get a Muslim headmaster replaced, Superintendent of Police Bhim Shankar S. Goled said
Mohammad Abrar, Daily Dawn ,Dawn TV Report
Rajasthan: Children drink water inside a government primary school in Kalyanpur village in the Indian state of Rajasthan on April 8, 2025 (File photo/AFP)
According to police, several children at a government school in the southern Indian state of Karnataka have allegedly fallen ill after drinking poisoned water.
Authorities have arrested three people in connection with the incident, including a local leader of the right-wing Hindu outfit Shri Ram Sena, who hails from the state’s Belagavi district.
Belagavi Superintendent of Police Bhim Shankar S. Goled said that poison was added to the water tank of a school in Holikatti village to get a Muslim headmaster replaced.
According to The Hindu newspaper, the Superintendent of Police said that Shri Ram Sena leader Sagar Patel and another alleged accused, Nagangowda Patel, blackmailed resident Krishna Madar based on his interfaith affiliation and forced him to poison the school’s water supply.
Krishna Madar allegedly bought three types of pesticides, put them in juice packets and convinced a young student to pour the solution into the water tank.
According to the Indian Express, the police officer said, “We resorted to scientific evidence and discussions with the students to solve the case. It was a planned and very sad attempt, which was motivated by hatred based on religion.”
The Superintendent of Police told reporters on Saturday that the Shri Ram Sena people conspired to blame the headmaster, Suleman Gauri Naik, for the poisoning.
According to officials, their goal was to create tension based on religion to create an environment that would damage the reputation of the headmaster and lead to his transfer.
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