Snake Found Inside Midday Meal In Bengal School, Students Taken To Hospital

A Birbhum school in West Bengal had children fall ill after consuming lentils cooked in the same pan as a small snake. Several students of Mandalpur Primary School in the Dheka area of the Mayureshwar II Block were hospitalised after consuming their midday meal provided by the government on Monday afternoon.

The students were immediately rushed to the Rampurhat Medical College Hospital. They were all discharged later. According to officials, about 20 of the 53 total students in the school consumed the midday meal.

Snake Found In Midday Meal

The horrific incident came to light after a member of the school staff who cooked the mid-day meal claimed that a snake was found in one of the containers that contained the lentils.

Headmaster Nimai Chandra Dey said that a woman who was serving the food saw a snake while serving the lentils. Everyone was asked to stop eating after they saw the snake, however, some students had already eaten the food.

As word spread, the villagers gathered at the school and vandalised the headmaster's vehicle. The police rushed to the scene and rescued the headmaster.

Praloy Naik, Chairman of the Primary Education Board, visited the Rampurhat Medical College Hospital to check on the students. He said that there has been negligence, and the cooks who are cooking and serving the food should have been more aware and alert. He had visited all the children at the hospital and spoken to their parents. He assured that all the children are doing fine now.

Similar Case

On January 11, a rat and a lizard were found in a mid-day meal in a school in Malda, West Bengal. Villagers created a ruckus and complained that the quality of the midday meal is terrible.

Reportedly, the students have been complaining about the poor quality of food for quite some time. Nitin Singhania, the Malda district magistrate, stated that those responsible are being held accountable.

These incidents surfaced after the West Bengal government decided to serve chicken and seared fruits to children during mid-day meals for four months starting in January and allotted Rs. 371 crore.

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