Latur: Fifty female students of a government college who were hospitalised for suspected food poisoning after having dinner at their hostel in Maharashtra's Latur city were discharged on Sunday evening, a senior health official said. The hostel, part of the Puranmal Lahoti Government Polytechnic, has 324 female students.
"At around 7 pm on Saturday, the students had dinner, consisting of rice, chapattis, 'okra' curry and lentil soup. By 8.30 pm, several of them felt nauseous, and some started vomiting. The affected students were immediately taken to Vilasrao Deshmukh Government Medical College and Hospital," an official said. "Nearly 50 students were admitted to the hospital for treatment by midnight. Treatment started immediately, and they were administered saline. Twenty of them were discharged by 3 am and the rest by Sunday evening," GMCH dean Dr Uday Mohite said.
The polytechnic's principal, VD Nitnawre, said the Shivajinagar police were informed about the incident, and they collected food samples and other items as part of their probe. "The contract for the college mess was given to one Manisha Dobgave, and police are inquiring with her," he added. The principal said photographs of lizards and insects in meals doing the rounds of social media, which are being linked to the incident at the polytechnic, are false.
"The reports related to the food samples will be available by Monday or Tuesday," said resident deputy collector Keshav Netke. Latur Lok Sabha MP Shivaji Kalge visited the hospital late Saturday night and asked Collector Varsha Thakur-Ghuge to ensure the affected girls are provided relief and advanced treatment.
Meanwhile, members of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a sit-in protest outside the polytechnic on Sunday morning. The protestors demanded appropriate treatment for the affected students and strict action against those responsible. They also demanded the principal take responsibility and resign immediately and that the contract of the food provider be terminated without delay. The student body warned of an aggressive protest if these demands were not fulfilled.
