Chhattisgarh: 28 students fall ill after consuming 'chikki' at govt school in Durg district

Durg, Dec 10: As many as 28 students of a government primary school in Chhattisgarh's Durg district fell ill after eating 'chikki' (a sweet snack) distributed there and were briefly hospitalised, officials said on Thursday.

The incident took place on Wednesday and all affected children were discharged from a hospital here after being kept under observation for sometime, they said, even as the state government ordered an inquiry.

Soya-made chikki were given to students (as part of a government scheme) at the primary school located in Koliyapuri village, District Education Officer (DEO) Pravas Singh Baghel said.

As per preliminary information, at least 137 students of Classes I to V, who were present on the day, had consumed the snack and of them 28, belonging to Grades 3 and 4, later complained of abdominal pain and vomiting, he said. The students, mostly girls, were immediately shifted to the district hospital in Durg in ambulances, Baghel said.

"Of the 28, 20 students were discharged after preliminary medical examination, while the others were kept under observation for sometime before they were also sent home," a doctor of the hospital said.

The health condition of all of them was normal, the doctor said. A preliminary report of the Block Education Officer on the matter suggested the children were given chikki in excess, resulting in the illness, an official statement said. However, samples of chikki, supplied by the state's seed corporation, have been sent to a laboratory for testing, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu, who visited the hospital to enquire about the condition of the affected students, said a probe has been ordered into the incident and further action will be taken once a report is received.