Devotees consume poisoned payasam, fall ill

TUMKUR: About 100 persons fell ill of which three are critical, after eating prasadam at Lakshminarasimhaswamy annual fair held at Gowdeehalli Gollarahatti village here on Monday.They were being treated at the local PHC at Bellavi town. Except for the three critically ill, all the others are said to be out of danger.Sources said, after the rituals took place, the temple distributed payasam. Soon the devotees experienced uneasiness and nausea. The devotees began to panic when some of them started vomiting blood. While preparing the payasam a lizard might have fallen in it poisoning the dish, sources said.