Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has expressed deep sorrow over the incident on Monday. (Representative image)
Credit: DH File Photo
Hyderabad: The incident in Andhra Pradesh, where three tribal children died due to suspected food contamination on Monday at a pastor's shelter home in Anakapalli district, has revealed shocking details. While the condition of three more children continues to be critical, it has emerged that the pastor, Mukkudupalli Kiran Kumar, was running the shelter home without obtaining any necessary permissions from the concerned authorities. Earlier reports had said that four children died in the incident.
He reportedly went to the surrounding tribal areas and asked the parents to send their children to his shelter home, promising to send them to school. The shelter home operated with inadequate facilities and lacked basic amenities. He only owned a license to run a trust, not a shelter home. There are around 87 children living in the shelter. The police have now arrested the pastor.
Anakapalli SP, M Deepika said that Kiran has been arrested, and the shelter home, Parisudhathma Agnisthuthi Aradhana Trust, located in Kailasapatnam, Kotavuratl Mandal of Anakapalli, was seized. Police identified that on Saturday, children in the shelter home had eaten samosas and chicken biryani. The leftover food from an event was brought to them, and shortly after eating it, children experienced vomiting and diarrhoea, leading to severe distress.
As the situation worsened due to diarrhoea, Kiran, instead of transferring them to a hospital, instructed their parents to take them back to their respective homes. While a few parents returned to the shelter home and took their kids back home, others didn't turn up. The pastor shifted those who stayed back to a hospital. Among them, three belonging to Koyyuru died. The deceased have been identified as Gemmela Bhavani (8), Korra Sadda, (6), and Jashuva (6).
For better treatment, some children have been moved to King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam. Expressing shock, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident.
Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, who visited the children receiving treatment, announced that the government would provide Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased.
She stated that the situation could have been different if the authorities had received immediate information about the food poisoning. She also promised to investigate such shelters operating in violation of regulations.