Bihar: Over 100 students hospitalised in Araria after snake found in mid-day meal in school

According to officials, around 100 school students in the Araria district of Bihar were sent to the hospital after eating a midday meal that allegedly contained a dead snake. The children are receiving treatment and are “out of danger,” the officials added.

The incident happened on May 27 at Amouna Middle School, Ward No. 21, in the Jogbani Nagar Parishad.

The district education officer (DEO) Rajkumar stated, “All the schoolchildren who consumed mid-day meals have been admitted at Forbesganj sub-divisional hospital, and fortunately, all are safe”. He further said, “A probe has been ordered, and those found guilty would not be spared,”

An NGO was tasked to provide mid-day meals at the school, according to the DEO. He added, “We are seriously looking into the matter, and the NGO’s licence will be cancelled if their involvement is surfaced.” However, the DEO emphasised that the NGO’s prima facie negligence was apparent.

The DEO and education department officials arrived at the hospital to meet with the students. According to officials, “A student saw the dead snake while mid-day meal was served, and he raised the alarm, however till then, about 100 children had consumed the meal”. The doctors at Forbesganj Sub-Divisional Hospital, where the students are getting treated, claimed, “The children are safe, and they will be discharged by the evening”.

Additionally, the officials went to the school and interacted with the staff and teachers about the incident. The teachers from the school alleged that they “…have complained several times to the NGO about the quality of mid-day meals, but they don’t listen”. While an official from the NGO who declined to give his name said, “We don’t know how the dead snake was found in the mid-day meal.

Recently on May 18, 35 children fell sick after consuming mid-day meals distributed at a Government school, Utkarit Girls Middle School Rasulpur, Tukulia Tola of Dumri region of Sadar block in Saran, Bihar.

After eating the mid-day meal, students started feeling uneasiness and vomiting, and 35 of them were immediately rushed to the district hospital. One of the students, Akash, found a dead lizard in his food and informed the cook, Shobha Devi. The school principal, Suman Kumati, halted food distribution, but many students had already started complaining of stomach pain and vomiting. The children were then rushed to the district hospital.

The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sanjay Rai arrived at the scene, took stock of the situation, and assured that those found guilty would not be spared. The mid-day meal is supplied by an NGO in Vishnupura of Doriganj.

While speaking to a representative of the Organiser, the BJP district president, Ranjeet Singh, stated that not only the NGO but teachers of the primary school should also be held accountable for the incident as the advisory issued by the State Government after the Gandaman incident clearly states that the teachers are bound to taste the meal before distributing it to the children.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time such incidents have occurred in government schools in Bihar. In 2013, 23 children lost their lives after consuming contaminated food at Dharmasati Gandaman primary school. In 2016 the district court, in its judgment while treating the case as rarest of rare, held the school principal Manju Devi guilty of culpable homicide and awarded a maximum imprisonment of 10 years.

Earlier, in November 2022, nearly 200 students had also fallen sick after consuming a mid-day meal in the Naugachia region of Bhagalpur in Bihar. Later on, it was revealed that a dead lizard was found on the plate of a class 8th student.