2 charged over school poison deaths

A school principal and her husband have been charged with murder after 23 children died from eating pesticide-contaminated lunches at the school in eastern India in July, police said today.

The trial of Meena Kumari and her husband is expected to begin soon, said p olice officer Varun Kumar Sinha. The couple could face the death penalty if convicted.

Investigating police officer Raj Kaushal said the principal's husband, opposition politician Arjun Rai, stored pesticide at the school which was for use at his agricultural farm.

The charge sheet filed in a court in Bihar state on Sunday said the chef cooked with it by mistake.

The children who died were aged between five and 12.

AP

The school's cooks have told authorities that the principal controlled the food for the government-provided free daily lunch. One of the cooks told police investigators that the cooking oil appeared different from usual, but the principal told her to use it anyway.

India's midday meal plan is one of the world's biggest school nutrition programmes. State governments have the freedom to decide on menus and timings of the meals, depending on local conditions and availability of food rations. It was first introduced in the 1960s in southern India, where it was seen as an incentive for poor parents to send their children to school.

Although there have been complaints about the quality of the food served and the lack of hygiene, the incident in Bihar appeared to be unprecedented for the massive food programme.

AP

The school principal and her husband both deny the charges and have told police there was no deliberate act on their part.

AP