Post News Network
Bhadrak, Feb 27: As many as 25 students of Lachhipur Project Upper Primary School in Bania Panchayat of Bhadrak district were taken ill Friday, after consuming ‘poisonous’ water from a tube well on the school premises. All the sick students were admitted to the
district headquarters hospital.
It is suspected that someone might have dropped ‘poison’ in the tube well as there was a dispute over selection of school managing committee members. Like every day, the children were in the campus by 10 am. 25 students had drunk water from the tube well and took part in the prayer class. During the prayer, one child after another complained of giddiness and stomach pain.
As the students continued to faint, the headmaster and other teachers immediately informed police and the block education officer.
Police rushed to the school and shifted the sick students to the district headquarters hospital. As the news spread, scores of guardians trooped to the school and created ruckus over the incident, blaming the teachers. This led to tension in the school.
Even till the afternoon, Satyabrat Rout (class-VII), Bapin Jena (class-VII) and Puspanrani Rout (class-V) were writhing with stomach pain. The guardians clamoured for proper treatment in the hospital. After preliminary treatment, the students vomited and felt relieved later. Sub-collector Rama Chandra Palta, chief district medical officer Ramesh Mohanty, local sarpanch Hemant Kumar Padhi, officials of the block education officer visited the hospital and enquired about the condition of the students.
Banamali Rout, a guardian alleged before media that there was a dispute about selection of members for the school management committee. Poison had been dropped in the tube well, he claimed. A team of doctors from DHH collected a sample of water and sent it for test to the laboratory of state public health and engineering department. The tube well has been sealed. Guardians demanded a probe into the incident.
