India: 23 Students Die from Poisoned Meals as Health Safety Measures Neglected
Local Editor
At least 23 children between the ages of four and 12 in Bihar state have died after eating a meal contaminated with insecticide while another 25 received treatment in the hospital.
The cause of these deaths are yet to be revealed until forensics tests are done However, there are claims that the oil used to prepare the meals is said to have been contaminated with organophosphorus.
According to the British daily The Independent, The headmistress of the school went missing as soon as children began to get sick, and her husband runs the store from which the food is purchased.
Moreover, local newspapers quoted police as saying that two containers filled with insecticide were found at their home, along with food intended for midday meals.
For his part, Bihar’s Education Minister PK Shahi implicated that the headmistress’s husband is involved in a plot against his administration, where he is reported to be a member of the opposition RJD party.
A review of the scheme in Bihar by the Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) last year revealed that poor quality food was often served, food was kept in open and dirty ground and there were no health checks on any schools.
Manju Devi, the cook in the afflicted school, had tasted the food and was concerned about the smell of the cooking oil, yet the headmistress told her to proceed with the meal, and is being treated in the hospital now with three of her own children listed among the dead.
Source: News Agencies, edited by website team
