According to school authorities, the meal had been supplied by an NGO.
More than 150 students fell ill, purportedly after consuming a meal at a government school in Bihar’s Saharsa district on Thursday, triggering a large-scale medical response and an official investigation into possible food contamination.
The incident was reported at Middle School Balwaha, in the Mahishi block area, where students began complaining of stomach pain, vomiting and dizziness shortly after eating the meal supplied under the midday meal scheme. Several children were also reported to have fainted on school premises.
According to school authorities, the meal had been supplied by an NGO.
Anupama Kumari, the acting principal of the school, said she had taken charge only two days ago. “The meal reaches the school around 8 am, and distribution starts around 9 am. Junior class students are fed first, as many children come from home hungry,” she said.
Kumari added that as part of standard procedure, the cook first tasted the food before it was served to students. “Around 100 to 125 junior class students had already been served when something was noticed in one child’s plate. Some people said it was an insect, but villagers said it was a snake. As soon as it was found, distribution was immediately stopped, and children who had already received food were told not to continue eating,” she said.
The acting principal said teachers are deployed at multiple points during the meal distribution to maintain hygiene and supervision. “Two teachers remain near the water tap, two near the plates and two near the food while it is served,” she said.
She further said that people responsible for delivering the meal to the school were informed immediately after the object was discovered. “They also instructed that no further food should be served,” she said.
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According to the school administration, 719 students are enrolled there, of whom 543 were present on Thursday.
As children began reporting health complications nearly two hours later, the school informed the health department and contacted the local primary health centre for medical assistance.
Police and health department teams reached the school soon after receiving information about the incident, and affected students were taken to the Mahishi Community Health Centre (CHC) for treatment. Due to the large number of patients, several children were later referred to Saharsa Sadar Hospital.
“Around 115 children had been referred to the sadar hospital, while another 40 to 50 students were admitted at Mahishi. Doctors have informed us that all the children are stable. Some children have mild fever, and they are currently under observation,” Saharsa DM Deepesh Kumar told local reporters.
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Authorities have initiated an inquiry into the incident, and food samples have been collected for examination to ascertain whether contamination was present in the meal.
“An FSL (forensic science lab) team was called, and the drug inspector has also been instructed. Further action will be taken as per the findings of the investigation after sample collection and testing,” an official said.
He added that the exact cause of the incident was yet to be determined. “How the incident happened is a matter of investigation. Our teams will probe the matter once the reports are in,” he said.
