115 pupils fall ill in Lakhisarai hostel after taking dinner

PATNA: At least 115 students fell ill after consuming dinner at a government-run residential school in Lakhisarai district on Thursday night.

The students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Barahiya in Lakhisarai district complained of nausea, stomach ache and diarrhoea after consuming pulao, paneer curry and dal. The food was served to the hostel inmates around 9pm on Thursday and the first case of discomfort was reported around 2am. According to a school official, two students complained of stomach ache to hostel warden and they were given medicines. “Soon, other students also complained of uneasiness and many vomited multiple times, following which they were rushed to a referral hospital at Barahiya,” the school official added.

Parents, who reached the hospital after receiving information about their wards’ illness on Friday, accused school authorities of serving poor quality of food to the hostel inmates.

Lakhisarai DM Shobhendra Kumar Choudhary, who visited the hospital to enquire about the health conditions of the children, said while 65 students were discharged from the hospital, 50 were still undergoing treatment there. “The students are under observation. They are recovering fast. The cause behind the illness of the students is yet to be ascertained. Some of them probably panicked,” Choudhary said.

The DM added samples of the food served to the hostel inmates on Thursday night would be sent to the forensic science laboratory for test. “Officials of public health and engineering department have been asked to check the quality of drinking water at the school hostel,” the DM said. Choudhary also asked the principal of the school to take immediate measures to keep the surroundings clean.

“We are looking into all aspects to ascertain the cause of students’ sickness. I have talked to the kids, who told me that the food served to them was not stale,” the DM said, adding the principal has been asked to keep the school closed for three days and send kids to their homes. “The change will help kids recover fast,” he said.