UP: Student dies after food poisoning incident in Deoria school, 61 hospitalised
Deoria (UP), Aug 7: A 15-year-old student, who was among the several children hospitalised here two days ago after food poisoning at a state-run school, died in eastern Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur on Wednesday, officials said.
Around 80 students from the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Ashram School in Mehroona village had fallen ill with symptoms of stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea after eating the school meal, and were hospitalised on Monday.
Currently, 61 students are hospitalised in Deoria Medical College, according to the officials.
District Magistrate Divya Mittal expressed deep sorrow over this incident.
"All the students admitted for treatment at Deoria Medical College are healthy and they will be discharged from today," Mittal said.
Ashram schools, which provide residential-based free education to meritorious students from financially weaker sections of society, are being run by the Social Welfare Department of the state. Currently, 94 such schools are functional in the state, according to an official website.
The district administration has initiated processes for lodging an FIR with the police, starting a magisterial probe over the incident and cancelled the licence of the mess contractor.
"A student receiving treatment at Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur has passed away this Wednesday morning. The deceased student, Shivam Yadav, son of Sadanand Yadav, aged 15, was a resident of Bhaisiya Ramnagar, Farenda Tehsil, Maharajganj district," Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Rajesh Jha said.
"Following the food poisoning incident on August 5, his condition deteriorated, and he was admitted to Maharshi Deoraha Baba Medical College, Deoria. Initially, his health was stable, but on the afternoon of August 6, his condition worsened with a sudden drop in blood pressure, leading to his admission to the ICU," Jha said.
He said despite efforts, there was no significant improvement in his health. Consequently, for better treatment, the medical college administration transferred him to BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur, on Tuesday evening around 4 pm using an advanced life-saving ambulance.
At the BRD Medical College, Shivam was placed on a ventilator for treatment, the CMO said.
"To ensure coordinated efforts for his treatment, the district administration sent Additional CMO Dr Surendra Chaudhary to BRD Medical College. Unfortunately, Shivam Yadav passed away on the morning of Wednesday, August 7," he added.
According to an official statement, the district administration has initiated action against erring mess service providers in connection with the incident.
A complaint has been given by District Social Welfare Officer Jaiswar Lal Bahadur to register an FIR under relevant sections at the local Bariyarpur police station against mess contractor Rajesh Gupta, it said.
The contract to operate the mess has also been cancelled and instructions have been given to invite fresh tenders for operating the mess, it said.
"Apart from this, an order has been given for magisterial inquiry of the case. Strict action will be ensured on receipt of the investigation report," the statement added.
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Delhi polls: BJP's Parvesh Verma faces action for 'distributing' shoes to electors
New Delhi, Jan 15: The returning officer for the New Delhi Assembly segment has directed the police to investigate an incident of BJP candidate Parvesh Verma allegedly distributing shoes to electors at a Valmiki temple in violation of the poll code.
Citing complaints received about the alleged act of "corruption," the returning officer has instructed the station house office of the area to initiate the action for violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and has sought an action-taken report at the earliest.
Verma, however, claimed that he honoured the sanitation workers by placing shoes on their feet at the temple and no footwear was distributed.
Police sources confirmed that a non-cognizable report (NCR) has been filed based on the complaint against Verma, and further investigation has been initiated.
Under Section 123 of the Representation of People Act, 1951 (1) (A), offering or distributing any gift, gratification, or promise by a candidate or their agent, or by any person with the candidate's consent, to any elector is considered a corrupt practice.
According to the returning officer's order, advocate Rajnish Bhaskar filed a complaint through WhatsApp, alleging that Parvesh Verma, the BJP candidate for the New Delhi seat, was distributing shoes to electors at the Valmiki Temple near the Mandir Marg Police Station.
The complainant also submitted two videos purportedly showing Verma "distributing" shoes to women.
Responding to the allegations, Verma, in a statement said that he personally honoured sanitation workers at the Valmiki Mandir by placing shoes on their feet as a mark of respect for their hard work in keeping the city clean.
"No shoes were distributed. Only a few shoes were offered as a mark of respect towards the sanitation workers," claimed an aide of the BJP leader.
The development comes amid corruption charges made against Verma by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and his party members, accusing him of trying to sway voters in the BJP's favour using unfair means.
