Students, most of whom are from Meghalaya, were served leftover food collected from nearby events, celebrations or weddings
SHILLONG, March 16: In a tragic incident, a 13-year-old boy from Meghalaya died while 29 other inmates of an unauthorised hostel run by a private school in T Kagepura village of Mandya district in Karnataka were admitted to the hospital in critical condition after experiencing severe vomiting, diarrhoea, and dehydration following the consumption of leftover food prepared for Holi celebrations elsewhere.
The deceased was identified as Sunday Kerlang from Lyndem village under Pynursla Civil Subdivision. He was a student of Class VI.
As per preliminary information, the students were taken to Karnataka by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The same is yet to be confirmed.
The incident occurred at a residential school of Gokul Educational Institution in T Kagepura village, which has been operating since 1989 without a license to run a hostel. The management was illegally operating the hostel on the first floor of the school building without proper infrastructure, including toilets for children.
The school has a total of 202 students out of which 30 students—majority of them from Meghalaya and some from Nepal—stay at the illegal hostel.
The school reportedly follows an arrangement where hostel students receive leftover food collected from nearby events, celebrations, or weddings.
On Friday, a group from Malavalli organised a feast as part of Holi celebrations, serving vegetable pulao and chutney for breakfast. The leftover food was later distributed to the 30 students at the hostel. The next day, all the students fell sick after which they were rushed to the hospital.
On Sunday, Kerlang collapsed and was rushed to the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences, where he was declared dead. Among the rest of the students, seven are in critical condition, and one is on a ventilator.
Mandya police said they have registered a case under Section 286 and Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and arrested three people in connection with the incident. Those arrested include the cook who prepared the food, the hostel warden for distributing leftover food without checking its quality, and the school owner for negligence.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed his grief over the incident and assured the family of the deceased boy of appropriate compensation.
When contacted, DGP Idashisha Nongrang said the Superintendent of Police, Mandya has confirmed the incident.
“All necessary help and assistance are being rendered by the district police and administration,” the DGP said, adding that the body has been handed over to the RSS and is being brought back to Meghalaya. (With PTI inputs)
