Nashik: 51 Students Fall Ill After Eating Fungus-Infested Chikki At Kanashi Ashram School

Nashik: An incident of poisoning involving 51 students of a tribal ashram school in Kanashi, in the tribal-dominated Kalwan taluka of the district, came to light on Thursday. All of them experienced symptoms such as vomiting, fever, diarrhoea and weakness. It is suspected that the incident occurred due to contaminated food or water. These students are undergoing treatment in two different hospitals.

The health department informed that the condition of 47 students is stable. Samples of food and water from the ashram school have been taken and sent to the laboratory for testing. Further action will be taken after the report is received.

Kalwan MLA Nitin Pawar visited the Kanashi Primary Health Centre and inquired about the students’ health. He instructed the health system to provide the necessary medication and immediate treatment.

Root Cause of Poisoning?

In this case, the cause of the poisoning incident has come to light — the chikki (a sweet bar made with peanuts and jaggery) given to the ashram school students was found to be affected by fungus. The sesame seeds on the chikki had a distinct smell due to the fungus. Moreover, it has also been revealed that there was no “expiration date” on it.