Bihar: 60 children fall sick after eating midday meal, school refutes allegations

School headmaster Abhinandan Rishidev alleged that the children of only one locality fell ill as they had eaten at a local village feast

Nearly 60 schoolchildren fell sick on Wednesday evening due to alleged food poisoning after consuming the midday meal (MDM) in Bihar’s Araria, though the school administration dismissed the claims after consuming the food and in turn said that the children fell sick after attending a village feast.

School students with their midday meal. (HT File Photo)

“The children were rushed to Araria district hospital around 9pm on Wednesday after they started vomiting. Fortunately, most of the children are out of danger,” sub-divisional officer (SDO) Aniket Singh said, adding that “some of them are still undergoing treatment while most of them have been discharged”.

Students of Jitwar middle school felt nauseous soon after leaving school around 8pm and started vomiting. “Within a few minutes, over 50 children fell ill, triggering panic among villagers,” locals said. “Soon, we informed the local MP who talked to the civil surgeon and three ambulances were sent to the village to rush the sick children to the hospital.”

“All children are safe,” civil surgeon Vidhan Chandra Singh said, confirming it to be a case of food poisoning.

Meanwhile, school headmaster Abhinandan Rishidev said, “Out of 437 enrolled students, 227 were present on Wednesday and they were served ‘khichdi chokha’ in MDM as per schedule.”

He alleged that the children of only one locality fell ill as they had eaten at the feast.

The district education officer has ordered a probe into the matter.