After 15-yr-old tribal boy dies of suspected food poisoning, Gujarat govt orders closure of residential school in Banaskantha

Indian Express

5 days ago

Following the death of a 15-year-old tribal boy in an alleged case of food poisoning at an ashramshala in Gujarat's Banaskantha, which landed 43 people — 40 students and three teachers — in the hospital, the state government has ordered that the residential school premises be closed down and the students transferred to other nearby schools.
The ashramshala, comprising three schools, is situated in Vekri village of Danta taluka in Banaskantha.
A team from the Tribal Development Department, under which the Ashram Shala falls, is conducting a detailed investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the incident.
'We have ordered that the recognition of the ashramshala be cancelled. In that case, students of the school will be shifted to nearby schools where arrangements are being made,' Principal Secretary of Tribal Development Department, Shahmeena Husain, told The Indian Express.
Husain said the food sample reports are awaited.
On July 15, principals of two of the schools were suspended for 'dereliction in duty and serious negligence', and 'disciplinary proceedings' initiated against them, following the suspected food poisoning at the Adijati Ashramshala, Vekri.
The deceased teenager, Nathabhai Shankarbhai Bubadiya, was not a student of the school but had arrived on the premises on July 12 to seek admission in Class X.
Late on July 13, a few hours after having their dinner, the students started feeling sick and were admitted to a Primary Health Centre. Bubadiya died on the morning of July 14, a few hours after he was discharged.
A total of 500 students are enrolled in the three schools: Shri Adivasi Ashramshala (Class I to VIII), Shri Madhyamik Ashramshala (Class IX to X), and Shri Uchchatar Madhyamik Ashramshala (Class XI to XII) at Shri Adivasi Ashramshala Vekri within the same campus. The ashramshalas have a total staff strength of 20 members, including teaching and non-teaching members.
At present, all students have been sent home, sources said, while at least four students are still admitted at private hospitals in Sabarkantha district.
As per the norms of the Tribal Development Department, the trust is provided a monthly financial grant of Rs 2,160 per student per month for Classes I till XII. The teachers' recruitment and salary is taken care of by the state government.