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Parents and family members of 23 children, who died after consuming a mid-day meal at Dharmasati Gandaman Primary School in Saran district of Bihar on July 16, 2013 are disappointed after a local court on Monday sentenced former principal of the Gandaman Government Primary School Meena Devi to 17 years imprisonment.
They expressed anger over her not being found her guilty for murder of innocent children.
Some of the parents said that they sought no less than a death sentence to her. “The court should have awarded the death sentence to Meena Devi as she is responsible for death of children,” said Buchchi Devi, who lost her child in the worst mid-day meal tragedy three years ago.
Sanjit Rai, a close relative of a victim of the tragedy, said that Meena Devi deserved at least life in prison. “We had expected harsher punishment for her than what she was awarded.”
On August 25, Meena Devi was pronounced guilty in the case. Her husband Arjun Rai, another accused, was let off for lack of evidence against him by a trial court.
Meena Devi is charged in the case of the unfortunate death of 23 children after they consumed the mid-day meal at Dharmasati Gandaman Primary School in Saran district of Bihar on July 16 2013.
Additional District and Sessions Judge of Saran VA Tiwari has awarded 17 years prison to Meena Devi, including 10 years under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and seven years under section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of the Indian Penal Code.
The court found Meena Devi, guilty of serving the poisonous mid-day meal to students and convicted her of culpable homicide “not amounting to murder”.
Image used for representational purposes only. Photograph: Mansi Thapliyal/Reuters