The Tiruppur City Police on Tuesday arrested the trustee and warden of Sri Vivekananda Sevalaya, a private children’s home at Thirumuruganpoondi near Tiruppur, where three children died due to suspected food poisoning on October 6, this year.
Of the 14 children who were at the home, two died at the centre and one in the hospital. Eleven children and the home’s watchman were discharged after treatment at the Tiruppur Government Medical College.
Minister for Social Welfare P. Geetha Jeevan inspected the home at Thirumuruganpoondi and ordered its closure. Accordingly, the Revenue Department officials sealed the home. The District Child Protection Officer was placed under suspension after the incident.
“After the analysis of the post-mortem and the food sample reports, the police concluded that the cause of death was negligence of the home administration and not food poisoning,” said City Police Commissioner S. Prabakaran.
On Tuesday, the Thirumuruganpoondi police arrested the home’s trustee K. Senthilnathan (60), and warden P. Gopi Krishnan (54), on charges of negligence.
They were booked under sections 304 (2) (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 109 (Punishment of abetment if the act abetted is committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment) of the Indian Penal Code and under section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act. They were remanded in judicial custody, the police said.