Bad biryani lands 24 students in hospital

Twenty-four students doing internship with a Vikhroli-based NGO were hospitalised reportedly due to food poisoning on Monday evening. The students complained of stomach ache and vomiting after consuming biryani ordered from a local caterer

Mumbai: Twenty-four students doing internship with a Vikhroli-based NGO were hospitalised reportedly due to food poisoning on Monday evening.

Mumbai, India - December 20, 2022: 13 women and 4 men of Maina Foundation staff, Kannamwar Nagar in Vikhroli, admitted to Rajawadi Hospital as they were affected by food poisoning after eating biryani ordered from a caterer in the afternoon, in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, December 20, 2022. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

The students complained of stomach ache and vomiting after consuming biryani ordered from a local caterer.

The Master of Social Work (MSW) students were doing internship with Maina Mahila Foundation, which works on women health and employment related issues. The students were involved in a survey being conducted in the area.

On Monday afternoon, they decided to order biryani for lunch from a local caterer as their cook did not come that day.

One hour after having lunch at 3.30pm, a couple of students complained of stomach ache and vomiting. They were rushed to Rajawadi Hospital.

“By 8.30pm, 24 students were brought in with similar symptoms and the doctors could link their condition with the food they consumed for lunch,” a hospital official said and added that all of them are in the age group of 20 to 25.

“The good thing is that most of them had vomited within a couple of hours of consuming the presumably spoiled biryani. This helped them to flush out the toxins from their bodies. None of them showed any signs of further deterioration of their health. We have given them necessary medicines,” a doctor said.

They were kept in the hospital overnight for observation. All of them were discharged by Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, the Vikhroli police took cognisance of the matter. They have conducted a primary enquiry and are waiting for the NGO officials to file a formal complaint. “We have approached the NGO officials but they were busy attending to the students. They have not come to give any statement,” a police officer said.

Doctors, on the other hand, have cautioned the people to immediately consuming any food ordered from outside or even cooked at home, considering the high temperatures prevalent in the city. “It seems that the students had ordered the food in advance and consumed it after a couple of hours. Rice has a tendency to go bad soon if not stored properly. This may have caused the issue,” a doctor said.