Karnataka prasad poisoning: Death toll touches 13; 80 birds dead
A couple of days after seven people were reported to have died after eating prasad at a village in Karnataka, the death toll has risen to 13. Following the incident, which police believe to be a case of poisoning, 90 people had to be hospitalized. Meanwhile, two people have been arrested on suspicions that they poisoned the prasad. Here's more.
Prasad was given out at a temple opening ceremony
The incident took place on Friday morning following the foundation ceremony of the Maramma temple at the Sulivadi village. After the ceremony, prasad was distributed to those who had attended the event. Reportedly, most of the attendees followed the Om Shakti religious tradition. However, chaos broke out after the seemingly innocuous ceremony, which had been attended by close to 200 people.
The villagers were served a rice-based dish as prasad
"Hundreds of devotees from adjoining villages and taluks had descended on the village. After the function, all the devotees were made to sit in line and served ricebath prepared at the temple," a resident of the neighboring village had told Deccan Herald.
Chaos ensued after the prasad was consumed
People who had consumed the prasad started vomiting uncontrollably, and reportedly, many were writhing on the ground in agonizing stomach pains. As the panic spread, police rushed to the spot, along with district authorities to provide emergency medical relief. What followed was commotion, as dozens had to be rushed to nearby hospitals for further treatment. Reportedly, 80 birds who consumed the prasad died too.
Police found CCTV cameras in the temple were defunct
Seven people, including two children, died from severe food poisoning on the day of the incident itself. It had initially been suspected that the prasad had been poisoned, and further investigations revealed that the CCTV cameras installed in the temple were defunct. While two people have been arrested on suspicions of poisoning the prasad, police are reportedly looking for five more suspects.
Kumaraswamy has announced Rs. 5 lakh compensation for deceased's kin
Following the incident, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy visited the victims at hospitals, and announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 5 lakh for the kin of the deceased.
Who poisoned the prasad?
While police are still working on establishing who poisoned the food, villagers have reportedly told the police that the poisoning incident took place because of an internal feud between the temple authorities. Consequently, the villagers have also urged the government to take charge of the temple. As for the poison, it's believed that pesticides were used to poison the prasad.
