Odisha: Over 30 Students Hospitalised After Consuming Mid-Day Meal In Bolangir, Kandhamal

Bolangir: In a tragic incident, over 30 school students in Odisha’s Kandhamal and Bolangir districts were hospitalised, on Saturday, after allegedly consuming their mid-day meals. According to reports, the incident surfaced after students started complaining of severe stomach pain and dumped their lunch in the dustbin. The district administration has ordered a probe over the incident to ascertain the truth about those responsible for the incident.

As per information, several students at the Simanbadi Upper Primary School in Kandhamal’s Daringbadi began throwing up and complained of severe stomach aches after eating rice and egg curry during lunch.

Following the incident, school authorities rushed over 20 students to the Simanbadi Government Hospital, where doctors suspected food poisoning, the reason behind students falling sick.

Following the incident, the headmaster of the Simanbadi Upper Primary School Bideshi Nayak stated that it appeared as if the SHG engaged in supplying mid-day meals may not have followed standard food preparation procedures.

In another incident at the Government Project UP School in Dengapadar, under the Muribahal block of Bolangir district, more than 10 students fell ill after eating their mid-day meal.

The students reportedly began throwing up after lunch. Teachers and locals immediately took them to Titlagarh Government Hospital for treatment.

According to sources, allegations were made that detergent powder was used instead of salt in cooking. However, Muribahal Block Education Officer (BEO) Santanu Parihar said the students might have inadvertently ingested detergent residue after improperly washing their plates. “After consuming food, the students washed their plates with detergent powder but didn’t rinse them properly before drinking water,” he explained.

The probe is underway to ascertain the exact cause behind the incident.