50 college students hospitalised after having dinner at hostel in Maharashtra's Latur
Latur (Maharashtra) (PTI): Nearly 50 female students of a government college were hospitalised for suspected food poisoning after having dinner at their hostel in Maharashtra's Latur city, officials said on Sunday.
The hostel, part of the Puranmal Lahoti Government Polytechnic, has 324 female students.
At around 7 pm on Saturday, the students had dinner, consisting of rice, chapattis, 'okra' curry and lentil soup, the officials said.
By 8.30 pm, several of them felt nauseous and some of the students started vomiting, they said.
Upon receiving the information, the college principal rushed to the spot and informed Dr Uday Mohite, dean of the Vilasrao Deshmukh Government Medical College and Hospital in Latur.
The affected students were immediately taken to the hospital in ambulances.
Nearly 50 students were admitted to the hospital for treatment by midnight, Dr Mohite told PTI.
Twenty of them were discharged by 3 am on Sunday, he said.
The other 30 students were undergoing treatment at the hospital. None of them was in critical condition, he said.
"Two girls experienced vomiting after dinner, and others complained of nausea, following which they were admitted to the hospital. Immediate treatment, including administering saline where required, is undergoing. All the girls are in stable condition, and the entire medical team is present and providing care," Dr Mohite said.
Parents of the students have been assured there is no need to worry, he said.
"Upon receiving reports of some hostel students being unwell, we reached there immediately. All the affected students were sent for treatment. A thorough health check-up is being conducted to ensure no further risk to any student. There is no cause for concern. Some girls are kept in the hospital to help the affected students," the college principal, VD Nitnaware, told PTI.
The Shivajinagar police were informed about the incident, he said.
Police arrived at the scene and the authorities collected the food samples. The cause of food poisoning will be determined after the samples report is received, he said.
After receiving information about the incident, Latur's Lok Sabha member Shivaji Kalge visited the hospital to enquire about the students' health.
The Congress MP also contacted Latur Collector Varsha Thakur Ghuge and urged her to take action against those responsible for the incident.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
