Health officials in India are investigating an incident after more than 100 schoolchildren reportedly fell ill from eating lunches contaminated by a dead snake in Mokama, in the state of Bihar, last week. According to CNN News 18 and the country's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), at least two dozen students required hospitalization on April 24. Local outlets state that a school cook served the midday meal after removing snake remains from the food, after which some of the children experienced dizziness and vomiting.
The NHRC says about 500 kids in total were served the meal, per the BBC. News of the incident sparked outrage among locals, prompting villagers to blockade a nearby highway in protest. The NHRC has set a two-week deadline for Bihar police to report on the incident and provide an update on the affected children's health. The commission said the situation raises "a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the students."
India started the world's largest free school meal program, intended to boost child nutrition and school attendance, in 2001. NBC News notes that the initiative, called the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, covers more than 113 million kids between the ages of 6 and 10. However, the system has previously come under scrutiny. A 2013 case involving pesticide tainting in school meals resulted in at least 23 student deaths and led to subsequent government improvements in food safety standards. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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