BELAGAVI/MYSURU: Three days after 14 persons died after eating prasada at Kichgutth Maramma temple in Chamarajanagar district’s Sulwadi village , deputy CM G Parameshwara said on Monday that traces of an insecticide acutely toxic to birds and humans were found in it.After speaker KR Ramesh Kumar moved a condolence resolution in the legislative assembly, Parameshwara said the prasada of tomato rice was given to 150 people on that day and 11 died and 125 were hospitalized within 30 minutes.Parameshwara said seven persons had been taken into custody and the truth will be known in a couple of days.The insecticide found in the food was monocrotophos, an organophosphate, which was suspected to have been bought from an agrochemical shop in Martalli, a few kilometres from Sulwadi temple.TOLL 14: Rani (L) is inconsolable after her mother Milli Bai succumbed on Monday, three days after eating Sulwadi temple offering . Rani’s father died on the way to hospital on FridayCollege yet to submit report on bird deathsShankar, a priest at the temple, told TOI that jowar, sunflower, turmeric and ragi are grown in the region and the only agrochemical shop in the area is at Martalli.Veterinary College, Bengaluru, is yet to submit a report on the cause of death of birds near the temple. In all, 27 crows and a mynah died after they were suspected to have had the poison-laced food.MM Hills wildlife forest officials sent four bird samples to the college to ascertain the cause of death. Forensic Science Laboratory authorities said monocrotophos is the cause of human deaths, but they were yet to ascertain that of the bird deaths.A forest officer said a team of 30 members combed the area in the temple's vicinity to check if more birds or animals had died, but they didn’t find any.Opposition leader in the assembly, BS Yeddyurappa, said the temple should be brought under the muzrai department. In the legislative council, health minister Shivanand Patil admitted that district hospitals do not have enough ventilators. Norms stipulate at least four ventilators in a district hospital, and he promised to sanction more for districts.“Since the casualties were many, ventilators weren’t enough. Therefore, officials decided to rush patients to Mysuru. After providing treatment to the needy, 80 ventilators were still on standby,” he added.

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