T.N. man instigates schoolgirl to mix cow dung powder in free breakfast scheme sambar at Erode school, arrested
A 48-year-old man was arrested in Erode, India, for allegedly paying a schoolgirl to mix cow dung powder into a teacher's portion of a school lunch. The act was reportedly motivated by a personal grudge after the man's wife was fired from her position as a school cook.
Why it matters
The incident highlights security and safety concerns within government-run school nutrition programs and the potential for personal vendettas to impact public services.
A 48-year-old man was arrested for allegedly instigating a schoolgirl to mix cow dung powder in sambar prepared under the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme at a Government Middle School near Sathyamangalam in Erode district.
The school at Ramapailur has 51 students. The incident came to light on August 31 when Revathi, a teacher at the school, tasted the sambar prepared for the breakfast programme to check its quality, and found it bitter. She informed headmistress Kumudha, following which the headmistress, on the advice of the Sathyamangalam Block Development Officer, lodged a complaint with the Sathyamangalam police.
During the inquiry, officials found that cow dung powder had been mixed only with a small quantity of sambar kept separately for the teacher to taste and that it had not been mixed with the sambar served to the students.
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