Mid-day meal makes 6 students ill in Odisha

Six students of an Upper Primary School in Odisha's Nabarangpur district fell ill after having Mid-Day meal following which two teachers were suspended, officials said today.

The six students of Ashis Bhawan Project Upper Primary School here were admitted to the District Hospital as they fell ill after eating the Mid-Day meal yesterday, District Education Officer, Ranjan Kumar Giri said.

The condition of the students undergoing treatment at the hospital was stated to be stable, doctors said.

It was alleged that some toxic substance might have been mixed with the food which was served to the students, Giri said.

When some of the students fell ill, the school authorities stopped serving the food to the rest, school teachers said.

District Collector Mohd Sadique Alam ordered an inquiry into the incident and as per the District Collector's direction, Headmistress of the school Soubhagini Naik and assistant teacher Sanjivini Karkara were placed under suspension with immediate effect, the DEO said.

A complaint has also been lodged with the police at the local police station, Giri said.

Samples of the food served for Mid-Day meal were seized and investigation into the incident was on to ascertain as to whether the food contained something that could cause health problems, he said.

As the news spread, parents and relatives of students gathered at the school premises and demanded transfer of all teachers from the school.