Nalgonda: Class VI student dies of food poisoning at SW Ashram School; parents demand action

Nalgonda: A class VI student died, while around 24 students fell sick due to food poisoning at Social Welfare Ashram School in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district.

The deceased Prashant died while being treated at a private hospital in Hyderabad.

On April 11, around 24 students were hospitalized with adulterated food in Gurukula hostel in Bhuvanagiri. All the students affected showed symptoms of food poisoning while having lunch at their hostel mess. They were initially admitted to the area hospital and then shifted to a private hospital in Hyderabad.

The deceased hailed from Jiblak Pally village in Pochampally Mandal. His father Mahesh is a borewell rig driver, and his mother Parijatha is a daily-wage worker at Jablakpally of Bhoodan Pochampally mandal in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district.

Parents blame the school:

According to their parents, they were not allowed to see their son. They alleged that their son died because of a delay in taking him to the hospital immediately. The boy's father Mahesh demanded action against the hostel authorities.

"We got a call on April 12 that his situation got worse. We immediately shifted him to a better hospital in Boduppal, where his pulse rate went down. As he did not show any improvement, we shifted him to Rainbow Hospital in Banjara Hills. Doctors during treatment said his brain was dead and he went into a coma. By night, they declared him dead," said Boy's father Mahesh.

A post-mortem was conducted on Prashanth’s body at Gandhi Hospital on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, relatives of the boy and the villagers of Jablakpally got into a heated argument with revenue officials for their alleged failure to visit the hospital to enquire about the condition of Prashanth while he was undergoing treatment.

Victim compensation:

Meanwhile, the district administration offered a house, an outsourcing job to one of the parents of the boy, and Rs 20,000 towards funeral expenses.

In a press release, the hostel authorities stated that they would take steps to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. They promised to provide nutritious food to the students in the future.

The Social Welfare Ashram School located in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district has over 480 students studying from Class 5 to Class 9.