SIT begins probe into Bihar mid-day meal deaths

A Special Investigating Team on Tuesday visited the village in Bihar's Saran district where 23 children died of food poisoning after consuming a mid-day meal in their school.

"The state government has hand over the probe into the death of children to the SIT," said an official of the state Home department.

An eight-member SIT headed by Saran Superintendent of Police Sujit Kumar
was formed on Monday to probe the case. "Besides Kumar, the team comprises of Vaishali SP Arvind Gupta, two inspectors and five sub inspectors," an official at the police headquarters said.

CID's IG Vinay Kumar is monitoring the SIT operation and IG (Operation) Amit Kumar is also helping the SIT in its operation.

The SIT is now on the lookout for the absconding principal, Meena Devi, of the government primary school at Gandaman village.

A court in Saran district on Monday had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Meena Devi.

A government inquiry report has blamed her for the deaths of the children. The administration has decided to attach her property if she failed to surrender. The police also raided her house twice in the last three days and recovered a bottle of pesticides.

The state government has suspended Devi from service for gross negligence.

According to district officials, an FIR has been registered against her on penal charges of murder and criminal conspiracy..