2 dead, 21 ill after consuming 'prasad' at temple

Two persons from Rajasthan's Banswara district died due to food poisoning and 21 others were taken ill after consuming 'prasad' at a temple in Madhya Pradesh, an official said on Monday.

Nearly 40-50 people of Danpur village in Banswara area had visited the temple in Sera village of the neighbouring state's Ratlam district. They returned home after eating meat with 'dal baati', a local cuisine, on Sunday, Deputy Chief Medical and Health Officer Ramesh Chandra Sharma said.

Later, a few of them complained of vomiting and diarrhoea. Bahadur, 30, died while undergoing treatment, whereas Asha, 25, passed away on the way to a hospital, the official said.

A total of 21 patients were being treated in different hospitals. Samples of the food have been sent for examination, the official said.

A case has been registered under Section 174 (unnatural death) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The bodies were handed over to the families after post-mortem, Danpur police station incharge Gajveer Singh said.