BARIPADA: Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) Minister Krushna Chandra Mohapatra on Thursday visited Lunachati village in Mayurbhanj’s Rasgovindpur block and met the parents of the 12-year-old Class-V girl student of Kakabandh Ashram school who died while undergoing treatment for food poisoning.
Expressing condolences to the bereaved family, the minister provided financial assistance of Rs 3 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. He alleged that certain political leaders were attempting to exploit the incident for political gain and criticised the BJD’s call for a district-wide bandh on Saturday.
He also condemned the attack on police personnel and assured that strict action would be taken against those involved in the violence that broke out after the student’s death. The minister was accompanied by Baripada MLA Prakash Soren and Bangiriposi MLA Sanjali Murmu.
The girl, Rupali Besra, died while undergoing treatment at PRM Medical College and Hospital in Baripada on Tuesday. She was one of the over 140 students who fell ill after reportedly consuming stale food at the government-run Ashram school on April 12.
Currently, 66 students remain under treatment at PRM MCH. One critically ill student has been referred to SCB MCH in Cuttack. Additional district medical officer Sashikanta Sethi said preliminary test reports indicate food poisoning to be the primary cause of illness among the students.