A food poisoning incident at MANIT Bhopal late on Saturday evening has raised fresh concerns over the quality of food served at the institute's hostels, even as confusion swirled over the number of students affected.
Several students at Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) reportedly fell ill after consuming stale food served on campus. Initial media reports claimed that over 150 students had taken ill, sparking alarm among parents and the student community.
The MANIT administration, however, issued a statement later on Sunday evening, downplaying the severity of the incident. According to the institute, only around 15 students reported stomach ache and received treatment from resident doctors. A few were taken to partner hospitals as a precaution.
The episode has once again brought attention to the condition of hostel kitchens at MANIT, which have come in for stringent criticism over food standards.
While the administration has assured that most of the affected students are recovering and the situation is under control, it also pledged to take preventive steps to avoid such incidents in the future.
Despite the generic statement issued to the media, the MANIT administration failed to outline specific steps it had initiated to improve the quality of food it serves to students.
