Children fall ill in India 'after dead snake found in school meal

 India's human rights body is investigating reports that more than 100 children fell ill from eating a school lunch after a dead snake was found in the food.

The cook reportedly still served the lunch despite removing the dead animal from it, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said in a statement.

The commission said about 500 children are believed to have been served the meal in the city of Mokama in Bihar state, eastern India.

After children started falling sick, locals blocked a road in protest, the NHRC said.

"The commission has observed that the contents, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the students," it said.

The statement demanded a "detailed report" within two weeks from senior state officials which will include "the health status of the children".

The free school meals, know as the Mid-Day Meal, were first introduced for children from poor backgrounds in the southern city of Chennai (Madras) in 1925.

One of the biggest such schemes in the world, it was introduced to combat hunger and boost school attendance. However, there have been complaints of poor food hygiene.

In 2013, tainted food was blamed for the deaths of 23 schoolchildren in Bihar state.

Police said "very toxic" levels of a pesticide had been detected by scientific tests.

on the other side its not first

On April 25, 2025, over 100 schoolchildren in Mokama, Patna, Bihar, India, became violently ill after reportedly consuming a Mid-Day Meal contaminated by a dead snake. The school cook allegedly removed the snake before serving the meal to around 500 students at a government school. Despite this, many children experienced severe symptoms, including vomiting and dizziness, leading to at least 24 hospitalizations. Following the incident, teachers reportedly locked the school and fled, leaving police to transport sick children to the hospital. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) launched an investigation and issued notices to local government officials, demanding a detailed report within two weeks. Local villagers protested by blocking the road in response to the incident, highlighting ongoing concerns about food safety in India's Mid-Day Meal program. The NHRC emphasized that such negligence could constitute a human rights violation. Notably, this is not the first such incident in Bihar; a similar case in 2013 resulted in the deaths of 23 students due to pesticide-contaminated food. The Mid-Day Meal initiative, introduced in 1995 to combat child malnutrition and poverty, remains crucial, given India’s high undernourishment and poverty rates .The Times of India+2People.com+2Hindustan Times+2

This incident is part of a troubling pattern of food safety lapses in India's Mid-Day Meal program. Similar cases have occurred across various states:The Times of India

• Tamil Nadu: Seven students fell ill after consuming lunch containing a dead lizard at a government school in Dharmapuri. Three cooks were suspended following the incident .India Today+5The Times of India+5The Times of India+5

• West Bengal: Approximately 35 children became sick after eating a meal with a dead lizard at the Hatgram ICDS center in Bankura district .The Times of India+6India Today+6The Times of India+6

• Maharashtra: Forty students and a teacher were hospitalized due to food poisoning after a dead lizard was allegedly found in the midday meal at Municipal School 88 in Thane. Authorities issued a show-cause notice to the meal contractor, and police initiated a case .The Times of India+1The Times of India+1

• Karnataka: Nearly 50 students from a residential school in Yadgir district were hospitalized after consuming a meal containing a dead baby snake. The students began vomiting while eating Uppittu, a semolina porridge .The Indian Express

These recurring incidents underscore systemic issues in the implementation of the Mid-Day Meal program, including inadequate food safety protocols, lack of proper oversight, and insufficient accountability mechanisms. The National Human Rights Commission's involvement in the Mokama case highlights the severity of the situation and the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to ensure the safety and well-being of children relying on these meals.