At least 27 students of Classes 1 to 8 fell ill after allegedly eating the mid-day meal at Government Upper Primary School in Poonia Devli village, Kota, Rajasthan, on Monday, August 24. Around 110 of the school’s 130 enrolled students were present when lunch, which included a pumpkin preparation, was served.
About two hours later, several children reported vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, dizziness and, according to some reports, diarrhoea. Twenty-one students were taken to Kota for treatment, with 17 initially taken to New Medical College Hospital and four to a private hospital; all affected children were later reported to be stable.
School principal Chandra Prakash said the children began complaining as the school day was ending, while a parent alleged that her son became dizzy and collapsed after eating the pumpkin curry and that no teacher initially accompanied them to hospital.
District Education Officer (Elementary) Rup Singh Meena said an inquiry had been launched but cautioned against blaming the meal before test results are available.
The same food was reportedly supplied to eight or nine other schools without similar complaints, prompting officials to examine food, water, heat and humidity as possible factors. Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar also visited the hospital, met the children and doctors, and said the quality of the food would be investigated.
Children Fall Ill After Lunch
The incident unfolded at the Government Upper Primary School in Poonia Devli village, under the Ranpur police station area of Kota. Officials and school staff said 110 students were present when the mid-day meal was served. The food included a pumpkin-based preparation, which later became the focus of concern among some students and parents.
According to reports, the meal was served at around 10 am, and complaints began emerging roughly two hours later, around 1 pm, as the school was preparing to close. At least 27 children reported feeling unwell, with vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, dizziness and weakness among the symptoms.
The severity of symptoms prompted 21 students to be taken to Kota for medical care. Media reported that 17 were taken to New Medical College Hospital and four to a private hospital, although subsequent reports gave varying numbers for children brought to or admitted at the medical college as the situation developed.
At the government hospital, four children were reported to have been admitted while others were kept under observation. Dr Mayank, the attending medical officer, said vomiting was the most common symptom and that most children had experienced one or two episodes. Their vital signs remained normal and symptomatic treatment was administered.
Food Under The Microscope
The timing of the illness and accounts from some families have placed the mid-day meal under scrutiny, but officials have not confirmed food poisoning. A mother of Rahul, a Class 4 student, told reporters that her son became dizzy after eating the pumpkin curry and collapsed.
She said he managed to reach home but his condition deteriorated, after which the family took him to a local dispensary and later to a hospital in Kota. She also alleged that no teacher or school staff member initially accompanied the affected children to the medical facility.
However, District Education Officer (Elementary) Rup Singh Meena has urged caution before drawing conclusions. He said the meal was prepared and supplied by Annapurna Sahakari Samiti to eight or nine schools and that students at those schools had also consumed it. No similar complaints had been reported from those schools, according to the official.
Meena said, “It is too early to conclusively state that the mid-day meal is the sole cause of the illness,” while officials investigate whether extreme heat, humidity or local water contamination may also have contributed. Medical teams were sent to the school, with laboratory and medical reports expected to help establish the cause.
The response has also drawn attention from senior authorities. Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar visited the hospital and met the affected children and doctors. He said the children he met were stable and that an inquiry would establish what happened, including whether there was a problem with the quality of the food. Kota MP and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also sought a factual and impartial investigation, including testing food, water and other possible sources.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Children should be able to eat a meal at school without families having to worry about whether it could make them sick. While it would be premature to label this incident as food poisoning before laboratory and medical findings establish the cause, the episode underlines the importance of strict food-safety, hygiene and water-quality checks in schools.
Equally important is ensuring that children who fall ill receive immediate medical attention and that parents are promptly informed and supported. The investigation should therefore remain transparent, evidence-based and free from premature conclusions or blame. If any negligence is established, accountability must follow; if the food is ruled out, the other contributing factors must be addressed just as seriously.
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