The minor girl and her parents have refuted the allegations.
A 12-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh has been sent to a juvenile home amid allegations that she tried to poison students at her school. The cook at a school in Deoria district alleged that the girl mixed something in the dal being cooked in the kitchen as part of the mid-day meal for students. The charge has been refuted by the girl and her parents.
The UP police suspect that the girl tried to poison the students as she wanted to avenge the death of her brother in February. The girl's father, a migrant labourer, claims that his son was killed after being allegedly hit on the head with a stone by a student during a fight at school.
"The cook is lying. She is trying to frame me. My family had filed a police case after my younger brother was killed. The accused are trying to frame me," the girl told reporters.
According to the first information report or FIR, a teacher at the school was alerted by the cook, who said that the girl walked in to the kitchen at 11 am on Tuesday, and mixed something in the dal after distracting the cook. However, the cook reportedly saw her and raised an alarm.
The doctor saw some black substance in the dal.
The teacher then informed the police and called a doctor. About 135 students are enrolled at this state-run school.
"I went there with my team expecting the worst, but no student had consumed the dal yet. There was some black substance in the dal and it appeared to be pesticide. Let the lab confirm it," said Dr BN Yadav.
The cops collected the sample and sent it to a laboratory.
"The food was sent for tests and the report is awaited. Further investigations are underway," said Surendra Bahadur, a senior police officer in Deoria.
The police have charged the girl with causing hurt by poisoning. The offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, but since the girl is a minor, she has been sent to a correctional home and the juvenile justice board will hear her case.