The ISKCON centre which has been accused of causing food poisoning of 87 children in a zilla parishad-run school in Palghar district on February 25 after they consumed the midday meal sent by it has said that it cannot be blamed as the same food was provided to 19,422 school children in the entire taluka but none of them were affected.
In a statement, ISKCON has said that on enquiring with locals around the school it has come to light that the students consumed banana wafers and pickles before having the midday meal which could have led to the food poisoning.
After a police case was registered against the ISKCON center which provides midday meals cooked at their Wada kitchen to schools in the Wada and Vikramgad taluka of Palghar and Thane, it said in a statement that it had sent its managers to the school to find out the reason behind the food poisoning incident.
“Our managers were told by the local people that many students ate banana wafers and pickles before having the midday meal. They bought it from a stall opposite the school. The collector has sent the samples of these for investigation,” said the centre. The centre further added that the quality of water from a nearby well from which the children drank is “very bad” which may have also caused the problem.
“From the same Wada kitchen, we prepare meals which are supplied to 25,523 school children in Wada taluka and 19,422 school children in Vikaramgad taluka, a total of 44,945 children every day. On this day too, the same was done,” the statement said.
On the day, students from the zilla parishad-run primary school at Kasa Badruk village were admitted to a hospital after they complained of nausea and stomachache after consuming the midday meal. As a precaution the teachers rushed all the 294 students to the primary health care centre nearby after which 87 students were shifted to the Kasa Badruk Hospital and were kept under observation there. Private doctors from Vikramgad taluka had also pitched in to help the government doctors.
The ISKCON statement said, “86 of them were kept under observation. None of the students vomited. No one had loose motions nor was any one dehydrated. The PHC doctors have given treatment to the children as a precautionary measure.”
