Thane, Oct 1: As many as 38 children fell ill and were hospitalised on Tuesday for suspected food poisoning after they ate a mid-day meal at a private school near Thane city in Maharashtra, officials said.

The children, aged between 8 and 11 years, were admitted to the civic hospital in Kalwa town after they complained of giddiness, nausea, headache and pain in the abdomen after lunch, according to medical officials at the hospital.

All the children are out of danger and responding to the medical treatment, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) Additional Commissioner Sandeep Malvi told PTI.

He confirmed that the children had eaten a mid-day meal at the private school.

Another medical official said the students were served rice and moth bean (matki) curry as the meal.

"Samples of food served to students have been collected by FDA officials. It was immediately not known if matki was stale," officials said.

According to officials, initially, five students complained of uneasiness and their number swelled gradually.

"Ambulances were summoned by the school administration and the students were rushed to the hospital," they added.

The parents of the children are also present at the hospital.

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Bengaluru: Kumara Chandrashekharanath Swamiji, head of the Vishva Okkaliga Mahasansthana Mutt, has expressed regret over his controversial statement suggesting that "Muslims should be denied voting rights."

In a press release, Swamiji clarified, "Muslims are also citizens of this country. Like everyone else, they too have voting rights. If my statement yesterday has caused discomfort to our Muslim brothers, I sincerely apologise for it."

He further added, "Okkaligas are inherently tolerant of all religions. We have always treated people of every faith equally. Our Mutt maintains cordial relations with Muslims, and they frequently visit us. Similarly, we attend their weddings and other joyous occasions. Hence, there is no intolerance towards this community." Swamiji appealed to the public to disregard the controversy surrounding his remark.

The controversial statement was made during a farmers' rally, ‘Raita Gharjana,’ organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Karnataka Pradesh, at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, on Tuesday. Addressing the gathering, Swamiji had said, "A law should be enacted to deny voting rights to the Muslim community, and the Wakf Board should be abolished."

The remark drew widespread criticism from political leaders and the public alike. Following the backlash, Swamiji issued his apology, stating, "Muslims are also citizens of this country. Like everyone else, they too have voting rights. If my statement yesterday has caused discomfort to our Muslim brothers, I sincerely apologise for it."