48 students fall ill after eating mid-day meal in Tripura

At least 48 students, including girls, fell ill and were admitted to hospital after eating mid-day meal in a school in Tripura, an official said Thursday.

"At least 48 students, including girls, fell sick Wednesday after eating mid-day meal at Noapara Senior Basic School in Tripura's Bishalgarh. All the boys and girls were immediately shifted to hospital," Ratan Chakraborty, sub-divisional medical officer, told reporters.

He said: "The condition of all the sick students is now stable and there is no danger at the moment."

State Health Minister Badal Choudhury, accompanied by doctors, health and education directors, and District Magistrate Prashanta Kumar Goel, have rushed to the hospital and later to Noapara, 30 km from here.

"The minister asked the district magistrate and school education director to inquire into the matter and take appropriate action against negligence while cooking food and serving meal to the students," said a health department official.

The official said the school's headmaster-in-charge Tapan Das has been suspended for carelessness.

Hospital sources said the mid-day meal was prepared with spoiled Soyabean and it was the cause behind their illness.

"There is a system that before serving the food to the students, the meal must be tasted by the cook, a school teacher and a guardian. This norm was violated by the school Wednesday," said the health department official.