Food poisoning: Stir against restaurant over death of nurse in Kottayam

The restaurant was slapped with a closure notice after it was found functioning in unhygienic conditions during an inspection by the health wing of the civic body.

Rasmi Raj’s mother and family members were seen inconsolable when her body was brought to the house at Thiruvarpp in Kottayam on Tuesday

KOTTAYAM: The death of a 33-year-old nurse employed with the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam, reportedly following food poisoning, triggered widespread protests against the restaurant from where she had taken food. The deceased is Rasmi Raj, wife of Vinod Kumar of Thiruvananthapuram.

As many as 20 people were admitted to hospital with complaints of food poisoning from the same restaurant in Samkranthy near Kottayam.

It was on December 29 that Rasmi reportedly consumed a chicken dish bought from the restaurant. She was admitted to the medical college hospital early in the morning on the following day. While undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit, she died by 7 pm on Monday. Following the incident, Gandhinagar police registered a case for unnatural death and launched an investigation.

While a preliminary medical report stated infection of internal organs as the reason for the death, authorities are awaiting a post-mortem report to confirm the exact cause of death. “We need to get the post-mortem report to confirm the cause of death. We have already initiated a case under Section 174 of the CrPC. We will initiate further charges based on the autopsy report,” said K Karthik, district police chief.

Meanwhile, police registered a case under food safety act after receiving a complaint from another person who took medical treatment for food poisoning after consuming food from the same restaurant. Following the incident, the food safety department has suspended the licence of the restaurant. According to Randeep C R, assistant commissioner, food safety department, an investigation is progressing in connection with the incident and further action will be taken against the restaurant on the basis of its outcome.

Meanwhile, DYFI activists took out a protest march to the restaurant and vandalised the building. The protesters accused the Congress-led municipal council of turning a blind eye towards the eateries that function without meeting the basic norms of hygiene.

The restaurant was slapped with a closure notice after it was found functioning in unhygienic conditions during an inspection by the health wing of the civic body. The protests ended after the authorities promised to suspend the officials responsible for the slip-up.