Desk Correspondent , Patna - More than 250 school children were rushed to medical facilities in Bihar’s Saharsa district on Wednesday after falling critically ill following the consumption of a mid-day meal at a government-run middle school. The incident occurred at the Navtolia Middle School under the Simri Bakhtiarpur block, where students began complaining of severe stomach aches, nausea, and bouts of vomiting shortly after eating the meal provided by the state’s flagship nutrition program. Local authorities confirmed that the majority of the affected children are aged between six and twelve years. Emergency services were deployed immediately as panicked parents rushed to the school premises, and the victims were transported via ambulances and private vehicles to the Simri Bakhtiarpur Sub-Divisional Hospital for urgent treatment.

District administration officials and medical teams reached the hospital to oversee the crisis, confirming that while the number of affected students is high, most are currently in stable condition. Preliminary investigations suggest that the illness was caused by food poisoning, possibly due to contamination during the preparation or storage of the meal. Samples of the khichdi and seasonal vegetables served to the students have been collected by the food safety department for laboratory testing to identify the exact pathogen or chemical contaminant involved. District Magistrate Vaibhav Chaudhary has ordered a high-level inquiry into the lapse,  stating that strict action will be taken against the school administration and the NGO responsible for supplying the meals if negligence is proven.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage among the local community, highlighting persistent concerns regarding the quality and hygiene of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in rural Bihar. Eyewitnesses and parents alleged that the food served often lacks basic quality checks and that complaints regarding the smell and taste of the meals are frequently ignored by school staff. Education department officials have issued a show-cause notice to the school principal and suspended the mid-day meal coordinator pending the results of the investigation. As the hospital remains crowded with anxious families, health officials have set up a temporary observation ward to monitor the recovered children for any recurring symptoms before discharging them.