65 school students fall ill in Chhattisgarh after eating mid-day meal containing dead lizard

IANS April 4, 2025 252 views

A horrifying incident unfolded in Chhattisgarh's Balrampur district when 65 school children fell ill after consuming a mid-day meal containing a dead lizard. The students were immediately rushed to Kusmi Community Health Centre after a girl discovered the reptile in her plate. Medical officials confirmed most children experienced symptoms like vomiting and stomach pain, and were subsequently treated and discharged. Local authorities have initiated an investigation to understand how the lizard contaminated the meal, with initial suspicions suggesting an accidental inclusion during food preparation.

"A girl noticed the lizard in her plate. We have launched an inquiry" - Rampath Yadav, Block Education Officer
65 school students fall ill in Chhattisgarh after eating mid-day meal containing dead lizard
Raipur, April 4: In a shocking incident in Chhattisgarh's Balrampur district, as many as 65 children fell ill after consuming a mid-day meal that contained a dead lizard.

Key Points

1

65 children treated after finding dead lizard in school meal

2

Students experienced vomiting and stomach pain

3

Medical team discharged students after treatment

4

Investigation launched to determine meal contamination

The incident occurred on Thursday at Gajadharpur Turripani Primary School, located in the Kusmi block, a remote area of the district.

According to officials, the children were immediately taken to the Kusmi Community Health Centre, where they received primary treatment and were later discharged on Friday.

According to the information, while eating her meal, a girl student noticed a dead lizard in her plate. She alerted the caretaker, and all 65 students were asked to stop eating and were quickly taken to the hospital.

By the time the lizard was noticed, most children had already consumed the meal. Soon after, many students began experiencing symptoms like vomiting, nausea and stomach pain.

Alarmed, the school staff informed the Block Education Officer (BEO) and facilitated the children's transportation to the nearby Kusmi health centre with the help of their families.

Rampath Yadav, the BEO of Kusmi block, confirmed the report and told IANS, “A girl noticed the lizard in her plate. We have launched an inquiry to determine how it ended up in the food."

An investigation into the incident has been initiated, he said.

At the health centre, the children were treated. "Some children reported stomach pain, about 10 students felt nauseous, two students needed intravenous fluid. They were under medical observation in a nearby tribal hostel till Friday morning. Later, all were discharged," Dr Basant Singh, chief medical officer, Balrampur, informed IANS.

However, an insider said the condition of one child was notably worse. However, after treatment, he had improvement.

BEO Rampath Yadav added that there are three assistants engaged in preparing the mid-day meal, and it is suspected that the lizard accidentally fell into the food during cooking.

On the day of the incident, 101 children were present in the school, although the official registration count is about 150. Lalit Yadav, the police station in-charge of Kusmi, also stated that a written complaint had been received from the school teacher, and the matter will be looked into to determine if it was an accident or someone deliberately put the lizard in the meal.

Reader Comments

P
Priya S.
This is absolutely horrifying! 😱 How does something like this even happen? The school needs to have better food safety protocols. Those poor children must have been terrified.
R
Rahul K.
While this is clearly an accident, it highlights the need for better kitchen supervision. Maybe they should implement CCTV in cooking areas and have more frequent inspections.
A
Anjali M.
My heart goes out to these kids and their families. The mid-day meal program is so important for nutrition, but incidents like this shake parents' trust. Hope they implement stricter quality checks moving forward.
S
Sunil P.
I think we're being too quick to blame here. Accidents happen, especially in rural schools with limited resources. The important thing is that the staff responded quickly and got the kids medical attention.
N
Neha T.
That one student who noticed the lizard is a hero! She probably prevented more kids from eating the contaminated food. Smart thinking for a young child 👏
V
Vikram J.
Respectful criticism: The article mentions 101 children present but only 65 fell ill. Were the others served different food? This inconsistency should be clarified in the reporting.
M
Meena R.
As a mother, this makes me so angry and scared! We send our kids to school thinking they're safe. The government needs to audit all mid-day meal kitchens across the country.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Tags:
Mid-Day Meal Scheme Chhattisgarh School Incident Student Health Food Safety Balrampur District
You May Like!