At least 25 children of a government school in Bihar's Siwan district fell ill on Friday after eating mid-day meal in which a dead lizard was found, officials said.
The children were admitted to a government hospital in Siwan and are said to be out of danger, said Durgesh Kumar, a district official.
The children complained of uneasiness after eating the meal at the Sonbarsa middle school in Maharajganj block, the district official said. Samples of the meal were collected by police. The official said some children informed school authorities that a dead lizard was found in the meal served to them.
"It may or may not be true. I have asked a district official to probe the incident and submit a report as soon as possible," said Siwan District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Singh. The doctors who examined the children did not find any sign of poison in their bodies.
Last week, at least 54 children fell ill in Sitamarhi district after eating the mid-day meal. A dead snake was found in the meal served to them. A few months ago, a dead rat was found in the mid-day meal served to a student of a primary school in Patna. In the past, dead lizards, frogs and insects have been found in the meals served to students in the state. Last year, at least 23 students died after eating poisonous meal at a primary school at Dharmasati Gandaman village in Saran district.
A forensic report confirmed the presence of toxic insecticide strains in the cooking oil used for making the food at the school.
The mid-day meal scheme is running in 72,000 schools across Bihar, and 16 million students avail meals cooked under the scheme.
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