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A distressing incident unfolded at a government school in Punjab’s Sangrur district, where 18 students were rushed to the hospital with complaints of stomach ache and vomiting after consuming a meal in the hostel mess. The state’s Education Minister, Harjot Singh Bains, announced the arrest of the food contractor and initiated an inquiry by the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) to investigate the matter.
The affected students, from the government meritorious school at Ghabdan, were admitted to the civil hospital on Friday evening. Suspected to be a case of food poisoning, 14 out of the 18 students have been discharged, while four remain admitted.
Sangrur Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal informed reporters that an additional 36 students were brought to the hospital on Saturday, all in stable condition. An inquiry committee, chaired by the SDM and including a tehsildar and a civil surgeon, has been formed to investigate the incident. The committee is expected to submit its report within a week.
Food samples from the school have been collected, and stool and blood samples of the affected students have also been obtained. Students reportedly raised concerns about food quality to school authorities prior to the incident.
Minister Bains, in a video message, expressed awareness of the situation and mentioned the deployment of a medical team at the school premises. The arrested food contractor’s contract has been canceled, and a joint team from the education and health departments has been tasked with collecting food samples in nine other government meritorious schools in the state as a precautionary measure.
