- Police is investigating the matter, search for the accused continues.
A very sad and worrying incident has come to light from Mulugu district of Telangana, where a four-year-old child died after eating poisoned food kept for killing monkeys. The incident took place in Govidaraopet mandal on Sunday (April 12, 2026), which has shocked the entire area and highlighted the dangerous aspect of human-wildlife conflict.
The deceased has been identified as Harshvardhan, who was playing near the Anganwadi center with his sisters Varshini (9) and Janu (6). According to the police, there has been a terror of monkeys in the area for a long time, who take away food from houses. Troubled by this problem, some people started keeping poisoned food outside their homes to kill monkeys.
Child ate poisonous food mistaking it for mid-day meal
On the day of the incident, the children saw the food kept in the Anganwadi premises and ate it thinking it to be regular nutritious food. According to the police, the elder sisters found the taste of the food different, so they immediately spit it out, but the younger child Harshvardhan swallowed it and after reaching home, his health started deteriorating. The family immediately admitted him to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Hospital in Warangal, where he died during treatment. After this incident, there was chaos in the family and a wave of mourning spread in the entire village.
Police is searching for the person who kept poisoned food.
The police have registered a case of death due to negligence under section 106 of the Indian Judicial Code (BNS) and have started investigation. Officials say that it is being ascertained who had kept the poisonous food and whether anyone can be held responsible for it.
This incident raises many serious questions. On one hand, the increasing problem of monkeys in villages is becoming a problem for the people, on the other hand, adopting such dangerous measures can prove fatal for innocent people, especially children. Experts believe that such problems should be solved administratively and scientifically, and not through unsafe and illegal measures. This incident is a warning of how carelessness and wrong decisions can take the life of an innocent person.
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