52 Students Fall Ill After Eating Contaminated Food At An Ashram School In Devarakonda

Devarakonda: In a suspected case of food poisoning at the Mudigonda Tribal Ashram School in Devarakonda mandal of the Nalgonda district in Telangana, 52 students were hospitalised on Monday with symptoms of vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach pain.

Out of the 408 students enrolled in the school, 310 were present as it was a weekend. The situation reportedly caused panic across welfare hostels in the district.

Cabbage Curry And Undercooked Snacks Blamed

According to the students, the cabbage curry cooked on Sunday afternoon was mixed with leftover chicken curry and served again at night. They also complained that the snack items given in the evening, including some fried items, were undercooked. Several students experienced stomach pain that night but went to sleep without reporting it.

On Monday morning, the symptoms worsened. Doctors later stated that the food may have included uncooked prawns, which could have led to the outbreak of stomach ailments among the students.

Officials Respond, Parents Blame Negligence

Upon receiving information, RDO Ramana Reddy, Tehsildar Madhusudhan Reddy, and MPDO SD Daniel visited both the hostel and the hospital where the students were admitted. Officials confirmed that the health condition of the affected students is currently stable.

Several parents blamed the incident on staff negligence and a lack of accountability. Expressing anger, they alleged that teachers at the school failed to perform their duties and did not take proper care of the children. Authorities are expected to initiate a probe and review hostel food safety and hygiene protocols to prevent such incidents in the future.

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