Food poisoning scare at Gurukul in minister Tummala’s village in Kothagudem

Over two dozen students of Ekalavya Model Gurukul School in Gandugulapalli, Khammam district, fell ill after consuming chicken at lunch. MLA Jare Adinarayana visited the school and reprimanded the staff for hiding the matter.

Kothagudem: As many as 28 students of a Gurukul have fallen ill due to food poisoning at Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao’s native village, Gandugulapalli in Dammapet mandal of the district.

It was said that the students of Ekalavya Model Gurukul School at Gandugulapalli had chicken for lunch on Wednesday and later that night they fell ill, complaining of stomach pain and diarrhoea.

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But the school authorities attempted to keep the incident under wraps, treating the students secretly within the school premises by administering medicines, instead of taking them to hospital for proper treatment.

When the media persons tried to find out about the students’ situation, the school staff did not allow them inside the hostel. The school principal claimed that only 15 students fell ill, saying that it was not a case of food poisoning but merely indigestion caused by exam-related stress.

As the condition of a few students worsened on Thursday night, they were shifted to the government hospital at Sathupalli in Khammam district and a few students who were seriously ill were taken to a private hospital.

On receiving this information, MLA Jare Adinarayana rushed to the school at night to assess the situation and expressed anger at the staff for keeping the incident a secret despite its severity.

A thorough inquiry will be conducted into the incident and action will be taken against those responsible, the MLA said. The condition of the students is said to be stable now and many of them were later discharged from the hospital on Friday.