At least 70 students fall sick after consuming mid-day meal in school
New Delhi: In a concerning incident that unfolded at Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya located in Dwarka Sector-7, Delhi, approximately 70 students fell seriously ill shortly after consuming juice served as part of their mid-day meal on Friday. The incident has raised alarm among parents, school officials, and local authorities.
Following the consumption of the juice, the affected children complained of stomach aches, vomiting, and nausea, prompting swift action. The students were taken to different hospitals as their health deteriorated.
The Delhi government has issued a show cause notice to the mid-day meal provider, they said. “All the children were in a stable condition,” a Delhi government official said, adding that the mid-day meal providers have been warned to ensure proper food was provided to the school children. “Anyone found guilty in the incident will not be spared,” the official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest) Manoj C said around 6 pm, a PCR call was received at Sagarpur police station stating that around 70 boys of Class VI to VIII reported vomiting after having a mid-day meal in Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya School, Durgapark in Sagarpur.
“The students were shifted to DDU Hospital and Dada Dev Hospital, Dabri. The school authorities stated that after the mid-day meal, students were given soya Juice which caused stomach pain and vomiting,” he said.
The crime team was called to the spot and remnants of the food and juice were seized, the officer said.
“Puri subji was served in the mid-day meal followed by soya juice to the students. When the students complained about pain, further distribution of food and juice was stopped. All students are stable as of now,” the DCP said.
An FIR will be registered and an investigation will be carried out in the matter, he added.
The school falls under the jurisdiction of the Sagarpur police station, which falls within the South West district of Delhi. Responding promptly to the situation, a team of officers from the police station arrived at the school premises to initiate an investigation into the matter.
Among the children’s accounts, one student claimed that the juice provided to them appeared to be expired. This student expressed distaste for the juice and opted to discard it, only to witness the subsequent outbreak of illness among those who consumed it. Medical professionals are diligently attending to the students and monitoring their
conditions closely. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of stringent quality checks and safety measures in school meal programs to prevent such unfortunate incidents in the future.
