Gandaman Primary School

Patna, July 22: The court of Saran chief judicial magistrate today issued an arrest warrant against the Gandaman Primary School’s absconding principal Meena Devi, the only accused in the midday meal tragedy in which 23 students died.

“A warrant of arrest has been issued against her by the court. The police have been trying to arrest her by conducting raids at different places. But she is still at large,” Saran superintendent of police Sujeet Kumar told The Telegraph.

Sources said a petition seeking the attachment of property of Meena would be presented before the court tomorrow.

“The woman has been absconding and the police will pray to the court for her property attachment, hopefully by tomorrow. Meanwhile, raids to nab her would be on,” another police officer said.

Meena, who was appointed as a contract teacher in 2007, had started her career as a panchayat-level teacher. She was first posted at Bahuara Primary School in Chhapra district.

After she was promoted to the post of a block-level teacher, she was posted at the government middle school in Bahuara. In 2011, she got a transfer to the middle school at Gandaman. The same year, she was made the principal (headmistress) of the Gandaman Primary School, just 100m from her home.

Her husband, Arjun Rai, is said to have strong political connections and he used them to get favourable postings and promotions for his wife, a source said.

Meena, according to the report submitted by Saran commissioner as well as the state adviser to the commissioners of the Supreme Court in right to food case, forced the innocent students of Gandaman Primary School to eat the spurious food despite some meek protests made by the cooks and the students.

Once the students started vomiting and getting unconscious, Arjun had come down to the school and said he would bear the treatment cost of the students. But after the first student died, he fled with his wife and children, the report said.

“The couple have a son and a daughter, students of Masrakh Central School and Bahuara Middle School, respectively. The family took advantage of the pandemonium and escaped locking the main door of their residence,” said a police source.

Officials at the Saran district administration said that the axe was likely to fall on some more officials in the next few days.