Six Class XII students of a government-aided school in Velur town, Namakkal district, consumed a powder they believed was poison on Wednesday afternoon, after they were suspected of scrawling some comments about a teacher on the school walls.
They were admitted to the Velur Government Hospital, located close to the school, and were treated with intravenous fluids, but doctors saw no signs of poisoning. The boys claimed they consumed a powder used to kill ants after mixing it in water.
It is learnt that the boys were asked to bring their parents to school as they were suspected of writing adverse comments about one of their teachers on the school walls. The boys said they were wrongly suspected of something that some others had done. “The incident took place about a week ago and we were being harassed since then,” the students told doctors while being administered with IV fluids.
One of the students said school authorities told them on Wednesday that they should bring their parents so that they could be informed of their misconduct. “We were afraid, we didn’t know what to do, and we decided to drink poison,” he added.
Another student said they found a box of ‘ant poison’ in the school store, and mixed some of it in a glass of water. They took turns to consume it. “We were frightened after taking the poison and informed fellow students, who in turn told the teachers. We were taken to the Velur Government Hospital by 1.45 p.m.”, they said.
The hospital’s Resident Medical Officer said there was no trace of any poisonous or toxic substance. “Their condition is stable but they will under observation for a day,” he added.
