India’s human rights agency said that on the day of the day he was investigating reports that more than 100 children became ill after eating a school lunch served after a dead snake was found in the food.
“As reported, the chef served the food to the children after eliminating a dead snake,” said the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in a statement.
The food was served last week in a school managed by the government in the city of Mokama in Bihar, one of the poorest states in India, he said.
The Commission demanded that local government and police officers investigate the media reports that “more than 100 children fell ill” after eating school lunch.
According to reports, around 500 children ate food, and the incident caused angry manifestations of children’s families, the commission said.
“The news about the children who became ill, due to the consumption of average food, led to the blockade of the road by the Protestant villagers,” he said.
Free lunches are offered to millions of children in government schools through India, seen by the authorities as a way of encouraging children to continue their education.
Free meals, known as half -day food, were first introduced for children from poor origins in the southern city of Chennai (Madras) in 1925, according to the BBC. However, there have been frequent complaints of poor food hygiene, the BBC reported.
The commission said that it demanded a “detailed report” of the senior state officials and the police, which included “the state of health of children.”
He said the report, if confirmed, raises the “serious problem of violation of students’ human rights,” the statement added.
In 2013, 23 schoolchildren died After a meal mixed with pesticides In the Saran or Bihar district. The disaster led the government to improve food security in schools.