Daijiworld Media Network - Raipur

Raipur, Apr 4: In a disturbing incident reported from a remote government school in Chhattisgarh’s Balrampur district, as many as 65 children took ill after allegedly consuming a mid-day meal that contained a dead lizard.

The incident took place on Thursday at Gajadharpur Turripani Primary School in Kusmi block, a tribal-dominated region. According to officials, the children were quickly rushed to Kusmi Community Health Centre, where they were provided primary treatment. All of them were discharged by Friday.

The incident came to light when a girl student noticed a dead lizard in her plate while eating and immediately raised an alarm. The school caretaker halted the meal distribution, and the students were rushed to hospital with the help of their families.

By then, several students had already consumed the meal. Soon after, many of them started complaining of nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain.

Confirming the incident, Block Education Officer (BEO) Rampath Yadav told, “A girl noticed the lizard in her plate, and all students were immediately stopped from eating. An inquiry has been launched to find out how the lizard got into the food.”

As per Dr Basant Singh, Chief Medical Officer of Balrampur, around ten students experienced nausea, some complained of stomach ache, and two children required intravenous fluids. “They were kept under medical observation at a nearby tribal hostel. All of them have recovered and were discharged on Friday,” he said.

However, sources revealed that one student’s condition was more serious, but timely medical attention helped stabilise his health.

BEO Yadav further informed that three assistants are assigned for preparing the mid-day meals, and it is suspected that the lizard might have accidentally fallen into the food during cooking.

On the day of the incident, 101 children were present at the school, though the official student strength is around 150.

Kusmi Police Station in-charge Lalit Yadav said that a written complaint has been received from a school teacher, and investigations are underway to ascertain whether it was a case of negligence or foul play.