day After 37 children take ill in school: Parents ask students to stay away from mid-day meal

The school has temporarily shut the mid-day meal facility and the 37 ill students have been given leave. Photo for representational

A day after 37 students from Balvikas School fell ill after consuming khichdi served as mid-day meal, several parents have decided to discourage their children from consuming the free food supplied by the school henceforth.

On Thursday, seven of the 37 children remained admitted to Kokan Hospital in Jogeshwari East. Several students, who were discharged the previous day, returned for check-ups.

“I could smell something wrong in the khichdi. I also informed our teacher about it. But when everyone started eating, I also ate,” said Sayali Bhagwan Morvekar (10), a Class V student. Later, another teacher tasted the khichdi and asked the students to stop eating it, she added.

Sayali’s mother, Laxmi Morvekar, said she will cook food (for her) instead of relying on the school. “Sometimes, I would not pack her lunch thinking the school provides good food. Now, I am scared to let her eat there,” Laxmi said.

According to the resident doctor at the hospital, Amol Zore, Sayali and other students complained of giddiness, vomiting, loose motion and abdominal pain after consuming the khichdi. “Fortunately, they must have eaten small portions, which did not lead to serious cases. We treated them symptomatically and did not require a stomach wash,” he said. The 21-bed private hospital accommodated 37 students on Wednesday with the limited staff members rushing around to stabilise them. “Till Wednesday night, we were busy ensuring their vomiting and loose motion were controlled,” said Dr Umed Singh, a pediatrician.

Samruddhi Kokate (10), a Class V student, said she started vomiting immediately after eating the khichdi. Her father Jaywant Kokate, said: “I got a call from her teacher around noon. They ate the food at 10.30 am. Yesterday, we spent the entire day looking after my daughter. Today, the parents will discuss whether to take action against school.” Jagruta Dalvi (10), another Class V student, said over 500 children from Classes V and VII consumed the meal in Balvikas School, Sarvodaya Nagar. “The food usually tastes good. But now, I am scared to eat there,” said the child.

The school has temporarily shut the mid-day meal facility and the 37 ill students have been given leave. “We are cooperating with the police in the investigation. We have blacklisted the self-help group (that prepared the meals). We are yet to look for a new supplier for mid-day meal. Parents are concerned about the mid-day meals,” said Sahdeva Sawant, the Vice-Chairman, Balvikas School. On Wednesday, a team from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) collected samples of the affected children’s urine, gastric and blood and left-over food from the school for laboratory tests.