Midday meals were poisoned, says Bihar education minister

Bihar Education Minister PK Sahi on Wednesday claimed that the incident was a case of ‘direct poisoning’ and not contamination.

Speaking to CNN-IBN, the minister said it was a strong dosage of poison in the food. “Investigations will reveal whether it was accidental or intentional.. our first priority is to save as many lives as we can,” Sahi said, adding that food poisoning would lead to diahorrea but in this case the children started dying immediately.

Twenty school children, aged between 8 and 12 died after consuming midday meals at a government primary school in Bihar’s Saran district, official sources said.

Twenty seven others, including the woman cook, were taken seriously ill and have been shifted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), Principal Secretary Education Department Amarjit Sinha told PTI.

While 16 children, aged below 10 years and studying in Class I to V, had died in Chhapra itself, four others were declared dead on arrival at PMCH late last night, Sinha said.

With PTI inputs