In a shocking incident, as may as 40 students fell ill after consuming Saraswati Pija prasad at a school in Jharkhand’s Lohardaga district on Sunday.
The students had eaten boondi (sweets) distributed after Basant Panchami celebrations, following which they are said to have developed a medical condition. Within hours of eating the sweets the children started vomiting.
The students have been admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Two of them are said to be critical.
Confirming the incident, Doctor S S Khalid of Sadar hospital said, “40 children have come here till now, one or two are in critical condition. It is a case of food poisoning, we are treating them accordingly.”
Meanwhile, District Education Officer, Ratan Mahwar, said, “The administration is investigating, we will take action against whoever is found guilty. We will get the food sample examined to ascertain the cause.”
People who organised the Saraswati Puja claimed that the ingredients for making the boondis were bought from the local shop and nothing seemed wrong with them.
In a similar incident in past, over a dozen had died after eating prasad at a temple in Karnataka’s Chamarajnagar. Samples of the prasad sent for forensic examination were found to be laced with monocrotophos and organophosphate that are dangerous for human beings, Karnataka deputy chief minister G Parameshwara had said.
