Three men have been arrested for allegedly poisoning the drinking water tank of a government school in Hoolikatti village, Savadatti taluk, Belagavi, Karnataka, in an attempt to get the Muslim headmaster transferred. The shocking incident took place on July 14 and left 13 schoolchildren ill after consuming the contaminated water.
Belagavi Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled confirmed the arrest of Krishna Madar, Sagar Patil, and Naganagouda Patil. All three have been sent to judicial custody and are now lodged in Hindalga jail.
Police investigations revealed that the motive behind the crime was communal in nature. The accused reportedly targeted the headmaster, Sulaiman Gorinayak, who has been working at the government lower primary school for the past 13 years. According to officials, Sagar Patil and Naganagouda Patil had been pressuring for his transfer and planned to create a crisis to achieve their goal.
As part of the plan, Sagar Patil, who is associated with a Hindu group, allegedly blackmailed Krishna Madar. He threatened to reveal Krishna’s relationship with a girl from another caste unless he helped with the plan. Sagar then handed Krishna a Maaza bottle containing a mix of three toxic chemicals.
Police said Krishna tricked a Class 5 student into pouring the poisonous mixture into the school’s water tank.
“We collected water samples from the tank for testing immediately after the incident,” SP Bhimashankar Guled told reporters. “Our investigation showed this was a deliberate act to malign the headmaster and create fear.”
The headmaster, Sulaiman Gorinayak, has not commented publicly on the incident, but local teachers and residents have expressed shock and anger. “He has been a sincere and respected teacher here for years. Targeting him because of his religion is shameful,” said one of the school staff members who asked not to be named.
