NewsKarnataka – Bangalore

Bangalore: Four teachers, who were among more than 150 protesters who had gathered at the Freedom Park here on Thursday December 26 demanding the release of grant-in-aid to unaided Kannada schools, attempted suicide by consuming pesticide.

Minutes after giving an interview to a television news channel, H K Lohith (30), a schoolteacher from Mandya, consumed pesticide stored in a water bottle at around 4.30 pm.

Three others Jayavardhan Naik (30) and Mahesh (31) from Periyaptna, Mysore district, and Devaraj (30) from Sakleshpur, Hassan district also followed him

The four were then taken to the K C General Hospital in Malleswaram where doctors removed the toxic residue from their bodies.It was confirmed by the doctors that all the four were out of danger.

The teachers have been urging the government to release grant-in-aid to 308 schools established between 1987 and 1995-96. They said they were poorly paid despite working for long hours.