School deaths do not look like accident: Nitish Kumar

The deaths of school children who consumed the mid day meal in a rural Bihar school does not look like an accident, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said Wednesday.

"This does not look like an accident," Nitish Kumar said, commenting on the death of more than 20 boys and girls nine days ago in a school in Saran district.

"The children had pointed out that something was wrong with the food," he said, and wanted to know why the food was still thrust on them.  "The accounts given by people, the forensic report, the concentration of pesticide (in the meal), all this points towards something," he said.

Forensic experts found strains of a toxic insecticide compound in the cooking oil used in the food.The chief minister said police will probe all angles and the guilty will not be spared. "We believe everything will come to light in the police investigation." "It is a very sad and heart wrenching incident," he said.

Without naming any political party, Nitish Kumar wanted to know why a 'bandh' was called when the children were being rushed to hospitals, and why police vehicles rushing to the site were attacked.

"This is very strange," he said. He tried to explain why he had not visited the village where the tragedy took place. "I do not need to tell the Patna media about the condition of my leg."He also pledged to develop the affected village. "We can't bring back the children who have died but we will do whatever we can for the village."