ADILABAD: Nearly 500 students of IIIT-Basar fell sick after having lunch in the mess in Nirmal district on Friday afternoon due to alleged food poisoning.
Girls students are more among those who were affected. According to sources, nearly 100 students were admitted to the hospital on the Basar campus while other students were treated in their hostels.
Students who complained of severe stomach aches after having food at the mess were shifted in an ambulance and cars of the teaching faculty to Nizamabad for better treatment. It is learnt that management of the mess served egg fried rice to the students on Friday.
The eggs used in preparing egg-fried rice were allegedly rotten. Contaminated water used in preparing the food and unhygienic conditions could also be reasons for the food poisoning.
Students who had lunch at E-1 and E-2 mess were the victims of food poisoning.
The IIIT-Basar was in the news recently as students protested for seven days against the poor facilities including poor quality food served to the students.
It may be recalled that the students of IIIT-Basar alleged he got a fried cockroach and frog in food in separate incidents in the past. One student of IIIT-Basar who actively participated in the recent agitation said hygienic and good quality food was one of their 12 demands. The students were also demanding a change of the mess contractor.
Sources said minister for education Sabita Indra Reddy called the recently appointed director and inquired about the incident and asked the IIIT-Basar authorities to provide better treatment to the students who fell sick and conduct an inquiry into the incident.
Health minister T. Harish Rao responded to the incident and asked the medical authorities to send medical teams to IIIT-Basar to provide better medical treatment to the affected students and monitor their health.
Meanwhile, BJP state president Bandi Sanjay demanded that the state government send medical teams to provide better treatment to the students who fell sick and alleged that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao was acting with vengeance on the IIIT-Basar students from the beginning. He condemned the negligent attitude of the state government towards students for playing with their lives.
