A 12-year-old girl died and at least 150 others took ill after showing signs of poisoning after they were given some tablets at a BMC-run Urdu school at Govandi in north-east Mumbai.
The deceased girl was identified as Chandni Mohammed Shaikh, who died on Thursday night. Chandni and others who took ill were studying at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-run Sanjay Nagar Urdu School at Govandi.
The tragedy rocked the Urdu school, after the students iron and folic acid tablets distributed to the students of the schools by the BMC.
Of the hospitalised students, at least 35 to 40 students are undergoing treatment at the the Rajawadi Hospital at Ghatkopar and Shatabdi Hospital at Govandi.
Another 100 to 115 indisposed students are undergoing treatment at various private hospitals. The school children were rushed to various hospitals, after they showed symptoms like vomiting and uneasiness, restlessness and headache.
Holding the BMC squarely responsible for his daughter’s death and hospitalisation of scores of other children, Chandni’s father Shahid Ali Shaikh said: “The tablets distributed to students were not good. Every year, the school asks consent of parents before they give any drugs or administer injection. But it was not the case this time”. Shaikh alleged that after his daughter was was given medicine, she complained of pain in stomach and chest. “Initially, the doctors said it was cough and asked for X-ray. later she started vomiting and died before even the X-ray was done. Now my son is showing similar symptoms and he too hospitalised” Shaikh said.