Around 150 children belonging to two Government schools fell sick after consuming mid-day meals in Narwal panchayat under Bagaha 2 block of West Champaran on June 1. The incident occurred when children of Barwal and the Naraipur Government middle school started showing symptoms of food poisoning after having lunch.
As per the reports, around 150 children of Barwal Government school were served a mid-day meal on June 1 afternoon, though while having the mid-day meal, some of the children complained of bad taste. Following the complaint of the children, the teachers halted the food distribution. However, till then, a number of children had already started vomiting and fell unconscious.
Learning about the incident, several villagers, including the parents of the children, soon gathered at the school, after which the children were rushed to the hospital in ambulances and other private vehicles. It’s been reported that around 50 children were sent back home after primary treatment while the rest of them are being treated at the hospital.
The doctors who treated the children speculated that the incident occurred due to food poisoning, after which the children felt uncomfortable. It’s also been learnt that around seven children from the neighbouring Naraipur school also complained about similar symptoms following which they were also rushed to the hospital.
A number of senior officials, including the DM, also reached the hospital to take stock of the situation and assured that those who were responsible would not be spared. Fumed by the incident, several villagers also sought action against ‘Jan Jagran Chetna Manch’, the NGO which supplied the food in the schools.
Speaking about the development, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nikhil Anand, while slamming the State Government, quoted, “Education within the State is not a priority of the incumbent State Government. During the fifteen years rule of Lalu Yadav, the State of education in Bihar was in God’s hands and during the 18-year rule of Nitish Kumar, he opted to keep the education ministry under his command.”
” But look at the State of education now; it has completely collapsed. The mid-day meal program in the State has fallen prey to huge corruption. In many of the schools, there is no staff for cooking and managing food distribution, and the teachers have taken over. None other than the U-turn politics of Nitish Kumar is responsible for this. The State has been back to square one from where we had begun in 2005, concluded Nikhil Anand.
Let us tell you that this is the second incident that has occurred within three days when children from Government school have been rushed to the hospital after consuming their mid-day meal.
Earlier on May 29, as many as 45 children were rushed to hospital after they complained of vomiting and stomach ache after consuming their mid-day meal in a Government middle school in Thunthi village of Supaul in Bihar.
The incident occurred under the Bhimpur police station limit when a mid-day meal was served to the student as per the daily routine, though one of the students, while having her meal saw a dead lizard in her plate, to which she immediately informed the authorities.
After learning about the incident, the headmaster suggested the student to throw down her meal though till then, some of the children started complaining of stomach ache and vomiting. Soon after the children’s health deteriorated, teachers, with the help of the local cops and villagers who at that time had gathered in large numbers, rushed the children to the Narpatganj PHC.
It’s been reported that at least four students were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after being found to be critical, while the rest were sent back home after initial checkups. Learning about the incident, a three-member inspection team also visited the school on May 30 and enquired about the incident.
After interacting with the students and the school authorities, the inspection team concluded that though the incident had not been triggered intentionally, it was an act of negligence by the school administration.
Let us recall that in a similar incident in Amauna middle school under the Jogbani police station area of Araria district, around 100 students were rushed to the hospital after a dead snake was traced in the Khichdi served to them as part of the mid-day meal on May 27.
However, the authorities had maintained that only 30 children fell sick who were immediately rushed to the Forbesganj sub-divisional hospital for treatment. Learning about the incident, SDO Forbesganj also assured to conduct an enquiry into the matter against the NGO that supplied the Khichdi.
In another such incident, as many as 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 on May 18.
It was then reported that when the children were having their mid-day meal, one of the students, Akash found a dead lizard in his food, following which he informed the Cook, Shobha Devi, about that.
Learning about the incident, the school principal Suman Kumari immediately halted the food distribution; however, till then, many of the students started complaining of stomach pain and vomiting, after which they were rushed to the district hospital.
In a similar incident in 2013, as many as 23 children lost their lives after consuming an organophosphate-contaminated food at Dharmasati Gandaman primary school under Masrakh police station limits of Saran.
