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50 students fall ill after midday meal in Bihar; principal dismisses claims
The students of Gahumani Itahari Middle School are undergoing treatment at JNKT Medical College and Hospital, Madhepura
Madhepura: At least 50 schoolchildren fell sick on Saturday due to alleged food poisoning after consuming the midday meal (MDM) in Bihar’s Madhepura, though the school principal dismissed the claims of negligence.
The students of Gahumani Itahari Middle School are undergoing treatment at JNKT Medical College and Hospital, Madhepura. “42 children are undergoing treatment, while some of them were sent back after preliminary treatment. The condition of the children is out of danger,” Dr Prabhat Ranjan said.
Parents accused the headmaster and cook of negligence and demanded stringent action against them.
“Our children continued to complain about the quality of the MDM, but they didn’t pay any heed. The children said that a lizard had fallen into the khichdi they were served on Saturday, and when they complained, they were threatened with action,” a parent said.
“After returning from school on Saturday, they started vomiting. We rushed them to the Medical College and Hospital,” another parent added.
School principal Arun Kumar said, “They made a mountain out of a molehill. This is nothing but part of a conspiracy by some people with vested interests, and everything will come out after the investigation.”
District Education Officer (DEO) Sanjay Kumar, who visited the children at the hospital, said, “All children are safe. The matter will be investigated from all angles, and those found guilty will be punished as per law.”
No police complaint had been registered till the time this article was written.
