Chhattisgarh: 78 school children served midday meal contaminated by stray dog, given anti-rabies shot

RAIPUR:

Over 78 school students had to be administered with anti-rabies vaccines after they reportedly consumed mid-day meals contaminated by a stray dog in Balodabazar district of Chhattisgarh.

The incident took place at a village on July 29 where students claimed that a stray dog had licked and eaten the vegetable curry kept in the open outside the school kitchen but their concerns weren’t paid heed to. It was later when the parents voiced up the issue and children were given anti-rabies shots. The matter was reported from a government middle school at Lachhanpur village in Palari block of Balodabazar district with students of Class 6,7,8. While teachers claimed that they had instructed the members of self-help group women, responsible for preparing the mid-day meals, not to serve the contaminated food, the cooks allegedly dismissed the warning, insisting the food was not contaminated, and went ahead to serve the same curry to students. The situation escalated when children returned home and informed their parents. Angry parents and villagers, along with School Management Committee (SMC) members, confronted school staff and demanded action.

One of the parents, Umashankar Sahu said that my child informed me about the incident at school stating that he didn’t consume the food because it was contaminated. “I raised the matter before SMC members. My son also said that whenever asked for some more food, they are misbehaved and often scolded.”The students said that the curry was partially covered with a plate and they saw a dog removing the cover and eating it. We informed the teacher and despite their instructions, the SHG served the same curry to all students, they said.Following the uproar at a village-school meeting, 78 students were taken to a local health center, where medical officer Dr. Veena Verma administered a precautionary first dose of anti-rabies vaccine, citing pressure from parents and village representatives. “The decision was taken on safety grounds and under instructions from higher authorities. The rabies vaccine was administered as a precautionary measure, not because of confirmed infection.

There is no side effect of the first dose. It was done on the demand of villagers and SMC members,” Dr Verma clarified. On August 2, sub-divisional magistrate Deepak Nikunj, block education officer Naresh Verma, and other officials visited the school to initiate an inquiry. Statements were recorded from students, teachers, parents, and committee members. However, members of the self-help group reportedly did not appear for statement.Local Congress MLA Sandeep Sahu has written a letter to Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, demanding a thorough investigation and accountability. “How were anti-rabies vaccines administered without medical confirmation of risk? Who allowed contaminated food to be served to children despite objections?” he questioned.The Jai Laxmi self-help group, which has been running the school’s mid-day meal service for 15 years, is now facing public ire. Villagers allege that this is not the first instance of negligence. Past complaints include uncooked food, insect contamination, and poor hygiene. Locals are demanding the group be removed and replaced with a more responsible provider.