Chicken and cake at farewell party land 19 SSC students in hospital

MUMBAI: A school farewell party turned into a nightmare for these students. Nineteen Std X students of Vikhroli Parksite Municipal School's Urdu medium section ended up at Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar with food poisoning. The fact that the incident occurred only a week before the board exams only added to their woes.
On Wednesday, the students gathered at the school for their farewell party.As a part of the celebrations, they were served samosas, chicken biryani and gulab jamuns. Some students had also got a cake from the local bakery. "Soon afterwards, around 40 students fell ill,'' said a parent. While 10 children were admitted to Rajawadi on Wednesday night, nine were admitted on Thursday. "Everything seemed all right initially. When I reached home after the party I was okay. However, after sometime, I started feeling nauseous and weak,'' said a student. She was rushed to Rajawadi Hospital and has been under observation ever since.
"Fortunately for us, our practical exams were conducted last week. Our written exams begin next week, so we have not missed out on any exam,'' said Shaikh Mujahid Abdul Sabir, a Std X student of the school. Sabir said that he had fallen asleep after reaching home on Wednesday. However, when he woke up he had a bout of nausea and could barely move.
According to the parents of the children admitted to the hospital, the school had arranged for food from a Saki Naka catering company. "The food had arrived by 10.30 am, but we were served lunch at 2 pm,'' said a student. Shaikh Abdul Khalique, whose 15-year-old son Salman was admitted on Wednesday night, said the parents planned to take action against the school. "We shall first verify if the cause of the illness was the cake or the food provided by the school,'' he said.
General secretary of the Municipal Teachers Association, Ramesh Joshi, said they would visit the school on Friday to look into the matter. "We can't really blame anyone until we find out if it was the quality of food or the weather which was responsible,'' Joshi said.
Three boys were discharged on Thursday evening. Senior medical officer Dr V Shinde said the rest would also be discharged soon. "They should be fine in time for their exams,'' he added.