KTR blames govt for deaths of gurukul students across state

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Tuesday expressed anguish over food poisoning incidents and student deaths in Telangana residential schools (Gurukuls) and alleged that the state government’s criminal negligence was solely responsible for food poisoning and student deaths.

The BRS leader strongly criticized the government, stating that over the past year, more than 1,000 food poisoning cases were reported, affecting thousands of students and leading to the tragic deaths of over 100 students and all this due to the criminal negligence of the state government. KTR demanded that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy take full responsibility for the food poisoning and student deaths in these institutions. Despite these heartbreaking incidents, neither the state government nor Education Minister Revanth Reddy had conducted even a single review, which KTR termed as a glaring example of their inhuman and authoritarian rule. “If such incidents happen once or twice, they may be considered accidental. But when over a thousand incidents occur and children are collapsing like birds, the government is still in deep slumber,” said KTR.

The BRS leader appealed to Revanth Reddy to at least think like a father, if not as a Chief Minister. “If the government were to serve poison instead of food to your own children, would you remain silent? If Revanth Reddy’s own children were living in such dangerous and horrifying conditions, would he still turn a blind eye or would he act?,” he asked.

KTR urged Revanth Reddy to immediately take this issue seriously. He recalled that the Chief Minister had once asked “who should be held responsible for student deaths, who should be hanged?” and now, KTR demanded an answer to that same question from Revanth Reddy himself.

He pointed out that BRS had repeatedly brought the issue of food poisoning and student deaths to the government’s attention. Yet, every time the issue was raised, ministers resorted to superficial actions and diversionary tactics.

While students were dying from poisoned food, the government tried to politicize the matter and downplay the seriousness of the situation, KTR said in harsh criticism. He demanded that the state government immediately wake up from its indifference and take firm action to stop the horrors happening in Gurukul hostels. Otherwise, he warned, the BRS will continue its struggle on behalf of the people.