Telangana HORROR! 35 students fall ill after 'lizard' found in breakfast in hostel

As many as 35 students at TG Model School residing in the Ramayampet Hostel have reported stomach infection with many suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea. Students have alleged that they saw a house lizard present inside the breakfast.

At least 35 students fell ill after they alleged that they found a lizard in the breakfast served to them at their government hostel in Telangana's Medak district on Tuesday. Following their dinner, the impacted students from TG Model School in Ramayampet had symptoms including vomiting and diarrhoea.

The Medak District Educational Officer (DEO) reported that the caretaker and the Special Officer of the hostel received show-cause warnings, and that a cook and an assistant cook were fired for purported carelessness.

In response, school administrators gave students emergency medical attention and transported them to a local hospital. According to preliminary accounts, it's possible that, as the dish was being prepared, a lizard fell into it by accident. To identify the source of the pollution, health authorities collected samples for examination.

The DEO, who enquired into the issue, in a report submitted to higher officials including the District Collector said that when upma was served to the students, one of the students noticed a "lizard" in the breakfast.

Parents and residents expressed their alarm and demanded stricter hygiene measures in school kitchens. The administration of the school pledged to look into the situation in great detail and to take the appropriate steps to stop such incidents from happening in the future.

In a similar incident, an incident reported from the Jangaon district of Telangana where  20 students of a residential school suffered food poisoning in October last year. 12 of these students were shifted to a hospital. The incident occurred at the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya which is run by the Telangana government. Students alleged that they found a lizard in the meal.