Sukma, Chhattisgarh: A government schoolteacher here was arrested Wednesday on charges of attempted murder for allegedly mixing phenyl, a floor disinfectant, into food meant for students at a residential school, police said.

The accused, Dhananjay Sahu, is an assistant teacher posted at the government-run porta cabin school for boys in Pakela village, located in the remote Bastar region. His arrest followed a complaint by hostel superintendent Dujal Patel, a police official confirmed.

According to the complaint, the incident occurred on August 21, when Sahu allegedly laced a vegetable dish prepared for dinner with phenyl, apparently in retaliation against the hostel superintendent due to a personal grudge.

"A school staffer noticed a foul smell emanating from the food and found empty phenyl bottles nearby," the police official said. “He alerted Patel, who ensured the contaminated food was dumped outside safely.”

Following the incident, Sukma’s district collector ordered an inquiry, which reportedly pointed to Sahu’s involvement.

“Based on the probe report, Patel lodged a complaint at the Chhindgarh police station, and the teacher was placed under arrest,” the official said.

During police questioning, Sahu admitted to the crime, stating he did it to “settle a personal score” with Patel, the official added.

Sahu, a resident of Patora village in Durg district, has been charged under Section 109 (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said. Further investigation is underway.