A man has been arrested in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district for allegedly mixing cow dung powder into food prepared for government schoolchildren.
The accused has been identified as Arumugam. According to the police, he plotted the act to avenge his wife losing her job.
Forced a student to mix the powder into the sambar
According to the police, Arumugam’s wife worked as a cook at the school but was dismissed from her job. He allegedly pressured a student into mixing cow dung powder into sambar prepared under the government school’s free breakfast scheme.
The incident took place on 29 August, while the school filed a police complaint on 1 September. The police registered a case against Arumugam under Section 123 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). This section relates to causing harm using poison or similar substances and committing an offence with criminal intent.
Teachers tasted it and found the sambar bitter
According to the police, the teachers tasted a sample of the food before serving it to the students. The sambar tasted much more bitter than usual. Initially, the teachers thought that perhaps too much turmeric had accidentally been added to the sambar.
The investigation revealed that cow dung powder had been mixed only into the sample kept for the teachers. The powder was not found in the food served to the children. The police are investigating the matter further.
