Three fall ill after eating hostel meal, students allege lizard found in food

Three students from a girls hostel in Srikalahasti, in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district, were hospitalised on Wednesday morning after eating upma served for breakfast. Shortly after the meal, the students began to feel uneasy and reported feeling nauseated and dizzy.

They were immediately taken to the Srikalahasti government hospital, where they are currently under observation. Doctors confirmed that their condition is stable.

The incident took a serious turn when other girls alleged to have found a dead lizard in the upma at the BC Girls Hostel. The discovery triggered panic among other hostel residents. However, quick action by the hostel inmates ensured that the remaining students avoided consuming the contaminated food.

Meanwhile, questions are being raised about the hygiene and food safety standards maintained in the hostel kitchen.

Former Srikalahasti MLA Biyyapu Madhusudhan Reddy, from YSRCP, visited the hospital to check on the health of the affected students and assured them of necessary support.

Last month, in a similar incident in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar, 107 people were hospitalised with food poisoning after eating a temple feast. Many reported symptoms such as vomiting, stomach pain, and dizziness. Health officials suspected contamination and after treatment all patients recovered and were declared stable.

On June 4, one person died and over 70 others fell ill after showing symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in Erragadda, Hyderabad. This prompted a high-level investigation into possible food poisoning, without a conclusive report.

Previously in March, students of Godavari Hostel at Hyderabad’s Osmania University staged a late-night protest after reportedly finding a blade and worms in their food.

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Written by Jeena Mary George