‘Incitement to communal violence’: Three arrested for poisoning school water to frame Muslim headmaster in Karnataka

August 4, 2025 by News Desk

In a deeply troubling case that has raised serious concerns about communal targeting in schools, police in Karnataka’s Belagavi district have arrested three men for allegedly poisoning a government school’s drinking water tank in an attempt to falsely implicate the Muslim headmaster and incite religious unrest.

The incident occurred on July 14 at a lower primary school in Hoolikatti village, where thirteen children fell ill after drinking water from the contaminated tank. All of them have since recovered.

The arrested individuals identified as Krishna Madar, Sagar Patil, and Naganagouda Patil are currently lodged in Hindalga Jail under judicial custody. According to Belagavi Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled, the motive was to malign and dislodge the school’s headmaster, Sulaiman Gorinayak, who has served at the institution for over 13 years.

Investigations revealed a disturbing plan orchestrated primarily by Sagar Patil, a local dhaba owner and member of a Hindutva outfit. Patil had reportedly been lobbying for Gorinayak’s removal and allegedly devised a communal plot to tarnish the headmaster’s reputation.

The probe began after Gorinayak himself filed a police complaint. Forensic teams found an empty Maaza bottle near the water tank, which tested positive for pesticide traces. A breakthrough came when a Class 5 student admitted to mixing the soft drink into the tank, saying he was misled by Krishna. Under interrogation, Krishna confessed that he had been coerced into the act by Sagar and Naganagouda, who allegedly threatened to reveal his relationship with a girl from another caste unless he complied.

Police say the trio intended to frame Gorinayak for the poisoning, triggering his suspension or transfer and sparking communal tension in the area.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah strongly condemned the incident, calling it “a grave threat to communal harmony.” In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he slammed right-wing organisations for fostering hatred and questioned whether they would take accountability for the crime. He also announced the formation of a special task force to monitor and tackle hate speech and acts aimed at inciting communal violence. “Is this the Hindutva they claim to uphold? Poisoning school children to target a headmaster on religious grounds?” Siddaramaiah wrote.