78 students of private varsity in Lucknow fall ill after having hostel food

Lucknow: As many as 78 students of Babu Banarasi Das (BBD) University in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh's state capital, fell ill after they allegedly consumed food in the hostel on their return to the campus after a late-night event, said university authorities.

In all, 42 students were taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS) and 36 to a private hospital in Chinhat.

A team from the state Health Department also visited the students and the hostel inside the BBD campus.

S.M. Kamil Rizvi, Dean (Student Welfare) and Chief Proctor of the BBD Educational Group said, "There was an event on the campus that continued till late in the night. On their return to their hostel, the students had dinner. Hours later, we received news about some of them having stomach problems. They were taken to the hospital."

The Superintendent of the Chinhat community health center (CHC), said, "The students said they had salad, rice, dal, chapati, and sweet dish. According to them, the chapati and the sweet dish tasted bad. We are also getting the water tested in the lab."

Most of the students have been discharged while others are stable.