In Devarakonda, located in the Nalgonda district, over 35 girls from the Mudigonda Tribal Ashram Girls School became sick on Monday, suspected to be from food poisoning.
The school hosts about 310 girls from grades 3 to 10. On Sunday evening, the students had spiced Bengal gram as snacks and a chicken meal for dinner. After eating, some felt unwell. The next morning, they had tamarind rice for breakfast. Soon after, around 35 students experienced stomach pain and diarrhea. The school staff promptly took 20 of the affected students to the Thoorpupalli Primary Health Centre and another 20 to the Devarakonda Area Hospital for treatment.
Upon hearing the news, Devarakonda RDO Ramana Reddy visited the hospital to check on the students’ health and investigate the illness’s cause. He then went to the school hostel with CI Narasimhulu and Tahsildar Madhusudhan Reddy. They questioned the staff about the meals served and examined the kitchen.
District Collector Ila Tripathi kept a close watch on the situation by phone and instructed the RDO to ensure the students received proper medical attention. Many worried parents hurried to the hostel to see their children.
Leaders from SFI, AISF, and BRSV, such as Valamalla Anjaneyulu, Budiga Venkatesh, and Vemula Raju, visited the hospital, claiming food poisoning caused the illness and called for an investigation by senior officials.
RDO Ramana Reddy spoke with the affected students in the hospital. Following the District Collector’s orders, a medical camp was set up at the hostel with three medical officers ready. He promised that the girls’ health would be monitored closely and confirmed that the students’ condition is stable.
