Boy critical after drinking acid-laced cold drink at school

Representational image: iStock

Neyyattinkara: Another incident of poisoning of a student in a school in Tamil Nadu has come to light weeks after a topper was poisoned to death by the mother of his classmate. In the latest incident, a Class 6 student was allegedly offered a spiked drink by another student.

Ashwin, a native of Kanyakumari, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital at Neyyattinkara. Both his kidneys are not functioning and his internal organs have sustained burns.

The medical examination found traces of acid in the body. Based on the complaint filed by the relatives, the Kaliyakkavilai police have filed a case and started an investigation.

The 11-year-old boy is the son of Sunil and Sophiya, natives of Kaliyakkavilai in the Kanyakumari district. The incident happened at the Maya Krishna Swamy Vidyalaya at Athencode on September 24.

Ashwin went to the washroom after writing the exam, and while he was on his way back, another student gave him a cold drink, Ashwin told his family. As he felt an odd taste, he only drank a little. But he was down with a fever the next day and sought treatment at a nearby hospital. As he suffered from severe stomach ache, vomiting, and breathlessness after two days, he was admitted to the private hospital at Neyyattinkara.

Dialysis was performed as both kidneys were not functioning. Internal organs, including the oesophagus and intestine, have sustained burns.

The drink was not given by any of the students in Ashwin’s class, according to his relatives. But they said that he is a student of the same school and that Ashwin would be able to recognise him. Ashwin is still not out of danger.

The Tamil Nadu Police has filed the case under IPC Section 328 (causing hurt by means of poison with intent to commit an offence). The offence can attract rigorous imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine.

The police probe has not picked up without strong leads. The CCTV at the school is defunct.

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