On the seventh day of the brutal tragedy in which 23 little kids died of criminal negligence, the Bihar police got on Monday an arrest warrant issued by a court against the absconding principal of a government school in Bihar's Saran district. The tragedy took place last Tuesday in a Chhapra school when 23 children died after eating poisoned midday meal. The state, meanwhile, terminated the services of block education extension officer Satyendra Kumar Singh, who was responsible for monitoring the midday meal scheme at Dharmasati Gandaman primary school in Chhapra. The chief judicial magistrate issued the warrant of arrest for the principal Meena Devi after being approached by the Saran police in connection with the midday meal tragedy last Tuesday.
An FIR has already been lodged against the principal under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy). Meena Devi, who has been suspended, is absconding along with her husband after the midday meal tragedy which raised food safety concerns. "Raids are being made at different places based on clues about absconding school principal Meena Devi and her husband Arjun Rai but we have not been able to nab them so far," Saran SP Sujeet Kumar said. The probe report of commissioner (Saran) and deputy inspector general of police (Saran range) Binod Kumar submitted to the state government has also blamed the principal for the tragedy. Confirming the presence of poisonous pesticides in the midday meal, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) said contaminated food contained monocrotophos, an organophosphate insecticide, after experts examined samples of oil from the container, food remains on the platter and remains of food items in the utensils.
The Saran district magistrate while announcing the termination of Satyendra Kumar Singh from service said the process of termination of the school principal is also underway. He said in accordance with government directives, the school was being attached to a nearby middle school.
