70 students fall ill after having mid-day meal at Delhi govt school

A case has been registered and a show cause notice has been issued to the meal provider.

Nearly 70 students of a government school in south west Delhi’s Sagarpur area complained of pain and vomiting allegedly after they consumed the mid-day meal on Friday, police officers said. The health of all the affected children was stable, they added.

A show cause notice was issued to the mid-day meal provider at the school. (FILE)

Police have registered a case in the matter.

A show cause notice was also been issued to the mid-day meal provider at the school, said a Delhi government official.

“The provider has been asked to respond within 24 hours. Strict action will be taken against those who will be found guilty. All mid-day meal providers have been warned,” the official said, adding that all the children are stable.

Deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Manoj C said around 70 boys of classes 6 to 8 in the Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Durga Park complained of stomach pain and vomiting.

“They were moved to Deen Dayal Upadhayay Hospital and Dada Dev Hospital in Dabri. The school authorities said that poori and sabzi were given to the students in the meal, followed by a soya drink which caused stomach pain and vomiting,” the DCP said. “When the students complained of pain, further distribution of food and drink was stopped,” the officer added.

A senior doctor at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital said that around 50 children from the school were brought to the hospital with complaints of severe vomiting, uneasiness, and gastric troubles.

“It seems that they were offered some drink in school that was beyond its expiry date. Many children fell-unconscious and are under observation. Some of the are also severely dehydrated because of incessant vomiting. By Friday evening, we have discharged some of the children who had mild problems. For others, we are closely monitoring their condition,” the doctor said.

Police have collected samples of the food and drink for test, the DCP said.