India: Farewell lunch poisons 19 students
Source of Article: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/farewell-lunch-poisons-19-students/428653/
Express News Service
Posted: Feb 27, 2009 at 0201 hrs IST
Mumbai Nineteen students of an Urdu medium
school at Parksite in Vikhroli
were admitted to Rajawadi Hospital
on Thursday morning. The students fell sick after consuming food at the
school farewell party on Wednesday.
According to the Rajawadi Hospital staff, the 19 children (11
boys, 8 girls) were admitted to the hospital till Thursday afternoon. Dr Vinayak Shinde from Rajawadi
Hospital said, “It
seems to be a case of food poisoning and we have sent samples of the food to
the forensic lab for analysis to confirm it. The students started feeling
giddy and vomitted a few hours after consuming the
food. They have been given medication and are stable as of now.”
As per some of the patients there was a
farewell lunch on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the SSC exams. The school
authorities had ordered food from a caterer by the name of Taj Caterers from Saki Naka. It is owned by one Ghulam Mohammad. The food ordered for the students,
comprising chicken biryani, samosas,
and gulab jamun had
apparently been brought in the school on Wednesday morning and had been
consumed by the students in the afternoon.
The school authorities had also ordered
cake and pastries from a shop in Ghatkopar. Shabnam Rafique, a student from
the school admitted to Rajawadi Hospital,
said, “When we left the school we were alright but later we started feeling
giddy and vomitted. I think the biryani
might have been responsible for this as it was stinking.”
Shakeel Khalid, the parent of one of the students admitted
to the hospital said, “We will take action against the caterer and also
against the school principal. We are all very tense as their exams are
approaching and we are very worried about it.”
When contacted, DCP RM Vhatkar
(Zone 7) said, “We have registered a case of negligence against the private
contractor who supplied the food. Based on the outcome of the preliminary
investigation we will be making arrests.”
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