Belagavi, Aug. 4 -- Three people, including the leader of a Hindu right-wing group, have been arrested for allegedly poisoning the drinking water tank of a government school in Belagavi district of Karnataka in an effort to oust the school's Muslim headmaster, officials said. The incident came to light on July 20 when 11 students from the Kannada medium government school in Hullikatti village of Belagavi fell ill and were hospitalised. During a probe into the matter, it came to light that pesticide was mixed with the school's drinking water tank, police said. On August 1, three people, identified as Sagar Patil, Krishna Madar, and Magangouda Patil, were detained by police. During interrogation, the accused confessed to plotting a conspiracy to contaminate the school's drinking water supply in an effort to transfer the school's Muslim headmaster. Belagavi superintendent of police (SP) Bhimashankar Guled said the accused intended to implicate the headmaster by causing a health crisis among students. "Sagar Patil, the Savadatti taluk president of (Hindu right-wing group) Sri Ram Sena, wanted the Muslim headmaster to face serious charges leading to his transfer," Guled said at a press conference on Saturday. According to Guled, the three accused allegedly purchased pesticide from a shop in Munavalli village on July 18. To execute the plan, the accused roped in a student related to Patil and offered him Rs.500 and snacks to mix the pesticide into the school's water tank. To prevent the child from identifying the substance, the pesticide was transferred into a plastic soft drink bottle. After mixing it into the tank, the boy discarded the bottle nearby, the SP said, adding that the bottle was a key piece of evidence that helped investigators uncover the crime. Police then traced the pesticide back to the point of purchase and, based on the shopkeeper's account, detained the three accused. During interrogation, they confessed to the conspiracy and were arrested, Guled said. The accused have been booked under section 123 (causing hurt by means of poison) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and have since been remanded to judicial custody. Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah condemned the incident, describing it as a "heinous act" rooted in communal hatred. In a post on X, he said, "Religious fundamentalism and communal hatred can lead to heinous acts, and this incident, which could have resulted in the massacre of innocent children, is a testament to that."...