 has launched an investigation into reports that more than 100 students became ill after consuming a school lunch allegedly served after a dead snake was discovered in the food.){kind=link}
India’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has launched an investigation into reports that more than 100 students became ill after consuming a school lunch allegedly served after a dead snake was discovered in the food.
According to a statement released on Thursday, the NHRC said, “It has been reported that the cook proceeded to serve the food to the students after removing a dead snake from it.”
The incident occurred last week at a government school in Mokama, located in Bihar—one of India’s most economically challenged states.
In response to media coverage of the event, the commission has called on local authorities and police to carry out a thorough inquiry, citing concerns that over 100 children may have fallen sick after eating the meal.
The event triggered protests from parents and local residents, with demonstrators blocking nearby roads in outrage.
“The news of the children’s illness due to the midday meal led to road blockades by aggrieved villagers,” the NHRC noted.
India’s midday meal scheme provides free lunches to millions of children in public schools, aiming to boost school attendance and combat child malnutrition.
The commission also requested a comprehensive update from senior state officials and law enforcement, including the current health condition of the affected children.
“If verified, the incident highlights a grave violation of the children’s human rights,” the commission warned.
This case echoes a tragic event from 2013, when 23 students in Bihar’s Saran district died after eating a school meal contaminated with pesticides—an incident that led to stricter food safety regulations in schools.