Dead rat in midday meal in UP: Principal, 4 others booked

Four people and an NGO have been booked for negligence after a dead rat was found in the midday meal served in a school here, police said on Wednesday.

Principal Vinod Kumar, teachers Sanjive Kumar, Munnu Persad and Babita, and supplier of the midday meal, NGO Janklyan Samiti of Hapur, were booked after eight students and a teacher of Janata Inter-College in Mustafabad Panchenda village were taken ill and sent to hospital after the rat was found in one of the plates on Tuesday.

An inquiry was ordered by Additional District Magistrate Amit Kumar Singh after the incident came to light.

According to Singh, the police registered a case against the five under sections 269 and 273 of the IPC in this connection.

He said the NGO, which has been supplying midday meals in 30 schools in the district, has been blacklisted and food samples have been sent to a laboratory for testing.

Divisional Commissioner of Saharanpur division, Sanjay Kumar, has directed all district magistrates and officers of the Education Department of Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur and Shamli to keep a watch on the midday meals served at schools in their areas and ordered for strict action those found guilty.