Huliyar, DHNS: Police on Friday added to the misery of families grieving the loss of three teens in a case of poisoning by refusing to register complaint lodged by the parents of deceased children.

Shreyas (14), Akanksh Pallakki (15), and Shanthamurthy (15), students of Vidyavaridhi International Residential School, died on Thursday, hours after they complained the sambar served during dinner was bitter.

Parents of Shreyas and people from Thimmanahalli, near here, gathered at the police station in the morning. They pleaded with the police to register their complaint, but were rebuffed.

Police, however, have taken a complaint from a third party. The parents want it cancelled and a new one registered.

Residents of Timmanahalli, who accompanied parents of Shreyas to Huliyar police station, alleged, “The police are shielding the school management. Despite the death of three students, they have not taken the case seriously. The police have registered a case under Section 304 A based on a complaint lodged by a person from the school and not by the parents.”

The agitating parents and the villagers urged Tiptur DySP Venugopal, the investigation officer, to register a complaint against the co-owners of the school K S Kiran Kumar and Kavitha, staff Jagadish, Suhas, Shivanna and Rangalakshmi. DySP accepted the complaint and assured the parents of taking action against those responsible.

Meanwhile, the post-mortem has confirmed the children died of poisoning. District medical authorities said they were awaiting a forensic report on the food samples.

‘CCTV cameras must in hostel kitchens’

Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya has said the government plans to make installation of CCTV cameras compulsory in kitchens, dinning halls and store rooms of private residential hostels, reports DHNS?from Bengaluru.

The minister told reporters on Friday that such a measure has been planned to ensure that the Huliyar-like incident does not recur. On Thursday, three students of a private school hostel in Huliyar died after consuming food.

The minister said health department officials must mandatorily visit private hostels to check the quality of food provided to students and issue quality certificates.

The minister said installation of CCTV cameras has been made compulsory in residential hostels managed by the departments of backward classes and social welfare. In addition, the quality of food prepared is being monitored online, he added.

Can’t file FIR?now: DySP

As the deaths hit the headlines on Thursday, Kiran Kumar and his wife Kavitha, joint owners of the school, disappeared from the scene. Police said they were looking for the couple. Kiran Kumar is a former MLA. “We can’t file an FIR?the moment parents complain. We will file one after we find the suspects,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Venugopal said.

Students take ill after eating lunch

As many as 14 students took ill after consuming lunch at the SC/ST?students’ hostel on Friday, reports DHNS from Yadgir. They complained of giddiness after eating rice, sambar, chapati and curry served to them. They were taken to a hospital for treatment and are out of danger. Students complained that the contaminated water used to cook the food had resulted in the incident.