Siliguri, Aug. 11: Residues of an insecticide used in Naxalbari Tea Estate were found in the stomachs of three garden children who had died yesterday.

“We have found dark-coloured particles with a foul smell in the stomachs of all the three children during post-mortems. These are residues of either chlorinated hydrocarbon or organophosporous compound. The children died because of their consumption,” said Saibal Gupta, the head of department of forensic medicine at the NBMCH.

Hiralal, 6, his sister Karisma, 4, and Monjoy Goala, 4, had gone to the pond to play after lunch yesterday. They were taken ill while returning home and died within an hour.

Management of the Naxalbari estate admitted the use of the two insecticides, though in dilute form, in the plantation.

“We use these two insecticides in our garden but in dilute form. The insecticides can cause instant death only if they are consumed in concentrated form. All the insecticides are stored under lock and key and are not accessible to anyone, except the staff of the spraying department. None in the families of the deceased children works in this department and so, they do not have access to the insecticides,” said Partha Nandi, the tea garden manager.

According to experts, chlorinated hydrocarbon and organophosporous compounds were not approved by the Central Insecticide Board (CIB) for use in tea gardens or agricultural farms.

“Insecticides likes chlorinated hydrocarbon and organophosporous compound do not have the approval of the CIB because they are detrimental to our health if they remain in our bodies for too long. Although the two insecticides had been used in tea gardens previously, we advised the managements to withdraw them following the CIB’s recommendation. However, there is a possibility that some gardens are still using the insecticides, but instant deaths can happen only if they are consumed in lethal amounts,” said S. Vaishya, an advisory officer of the Tea Research Association.

The last rites of the three children were conducted at the tea garden, 35km from Siliguri, this evening.

Subir Bhowmik, the chief medical officer of health, Darjeeling, said there had been no fresh cases of children falling ill in the garden. He said a teenaged girl had fallen sick in the garden yesterday because of shock from the children’s deaths.