Maganoor food poisoning row: Former MLA, BRS leaders arrested in Telangana’s Makthal

Arrests made to deter protests in support of affected students and their families; heavy police deployment in Maganoor

Mahabubnagar: In the wake of repeated incidents of food poisoning at the Maganoor Zilla Parishad School leading to the hospitalisation of several students, police have arrested former MLA Chittem Rammohan Reddy and several other BRS leaders across Makthal constituency.

The arrests were being carried out since the early hours of Wednesday, suspecting that the BRS leaders might stage protests in support of the affected students and their families.

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The police detained leaders from across various mandals in the district and shifted them to different police stations.

In Maganoor, heavy police deployment under the leadership of DSP Lingaiah was put in place to deter any possible demonstrations.

For the second time in a week, around 30 students from the Maganoor ZPHS were hospitalised after consuming mid-day meal. Around 50 students were hospitalised due to food poisoning less than a week ago, leading to the suspension of the headmaster and a school assistant.

The food poisoning incidents at the school have sparked outrage among parents and the local community, who are demanding accountability for the students’ suffering. With the officials serving worm-infested food on the day after the food poisoning incident last week, students threw their food.

Learning about their plight, Rammohan Reddy arranged for food and served it to the students, triggering widespread criticism of the State government.

BRS MLA T Harish Rao, MLC K Kavitha and several others condemned the arrest of Rammohan Reddy and other BRS leaders, terming the police action illegal and undemocratic. They demanded that the government immediately release those arrested and initiate corrective measures to ensure the safety of students.

“Rather than stifling opposition voices, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy should focus on providing better treatment to students who have been hospitalsed and ensure that such incidents do not recur,” Harish Rao said.