India’s National Human Rights Commission announced on Thursday that it is launching an investigation into a disturbing incident where over 100 children reportedly fell ill after consuming a school lunch.
Gatekeepers News reports that the troubling event occurred after a dead snake was discovered in the food, prompting concerns about food safety and the well-being of the students involved.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in a statement, said, “Reportedly, the cook served the food to the children after removing a dead snake from it.”
The meal was served last week in a government-run school in the city of Mokama in Bihar, one of India’s poorest states, it said.
The commission demanded local government officials and police investigate media reports that “more than 100 children fell ill” after eating the school lunch.
The incident sparked angry demonstrations from the children’s families.
“The news about the children falling ill, due to the consumption of the midday meal, led to the blocking of the road by the protesting villagers,” it said.
Free lunches are offered to millions of children in government schools throughout India, seen by authorities as a way to encourage children to continue their education.
The commission said it demanded a “detailed report” from senior state officials and the police, to include “the health status of the children”.
It said the report, if confirmed, poses the “serious issue of violation of the human rights of the students,” the statement added.
In 2013, 23 schoolchildren died after being served a meal laced with pesticides in Saran district of Bihar. The disaster prompted the government to improve food safety in schools.
AFP
