ANANTAPUR: For the second time in a month, 25 students of the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Singanamala fell ill after having dinner on Friday night. Preliminary probe revealed that a dead lizard was found in the buttermilk served to the students in the hostel, according to Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) Assistant Project Coordinator Tilak Vidyasagar.
Tussle between staff under scanner
But officials suspect the lizard might have been intentionally dropped in the hostel food due to internal tussle between the teaching and non-teaching staff at KGBV.
Girl Child Development Officer (GCDO) Rebecca said that the students, who complained of vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach pain were taken to Singanamala Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) and Anantapur
government hospital for treatment.
With students falling sick for the second time this month, authorities took stock of the matter and called for a probe. While questioning the students and staff they learnt that a dead lizard was found in the buttermilk.
Subsequently, the authorities were also informed about the differences between the teaching and non-teaching staff.
“We have asked Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya special officer Jhansi to lodge a complaint with the police so that the culprits can be nabbed,” Vidyasagar said. He asserted that stringent action would be taken against those involved in the incident.
Further, he said that measures would be taken to ensure such incidents do not repeat. Explaining the reason for the earlier incident of food poisoning, the SSA official said,”We learnt that unscientific methods were used to prepare curd, leading to several students falling sick.”
42 GIRLS FELL ILL ON DEC 2
Around 42 students of the same school had fallen sick on December 2, complaining of vomiting and diarrhoea. At the time, officials of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan had terminated four staffers