Teacher jailed for carrying pesticide to school

Close on the heels of the midday meal tragedy in the state in which 23 children lost their lives, a teacher was today arrested in Bihar's Rohtas district for carrying a bottle of pesticide to school.
A case was lodged against Manoj Chaudhary at Dinara police station under relevant sections of IPC following a complaint by Block Education Officer Ramji Rai, police said.
The teacher was locked up inside a classroom by the parents of some Std. 2 students after they found him in possession of the pesticide thymet yesterday.
The alarm was raised following a strong smell emanating from the teacher's bag, police said.

Half-a-kg of urea, besides a dye and 5gm of thymet were recovered from the teacher, police said.
Later, on the orders of the principal of the government middle school at Mayurdihra village, the teacher was taken to Dinara police station.

He was produced in the court of the Bikramganj subdivisional magistrate today and remanded in 14 days' judicial custody, sources said.
The teacher told police he had brought the pesticide to sprinkle on some vegetable plants growing on school premises.
Following the death of 23 students as a result of consuming poisonous food at a Chhapra school on July 16, extra vigil is being kept on the midday meal programme across the state.