90 children fall ill after drinking milk in UP school

Around 90 school children fell ill on Wednesday after drinking milk supplied as part of the school mid-day meal programme in Uttar Pradesh's Khairagarh town.

Senior officials including District Magistrate Pankaj Kumar and Senior Superintendent of Police Parminder Singh rushed to the school as over a dozen ambulances were pressed into service.

The district magistrate has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Meanwhile, police said the person who supplied the milk is absconding.

Parents accused village headman Holi Ram of supplying adulterated milk but the latter said he carefully supervised the process and it was "not his fault".

Police said some children were rushed to the nearby public health centre, while others were sent to Agra district hospital and Sarojini Naidu Medical College.

The condition of around 15 children continues to be serious. Khairagarh PHC's doctor in-charge Sanjay Solanki said there was something wrong with the milk.

Milk samples were sent to the laboratory for detailed analysis. There have been a series of food poisoning cases in the state in Lucknow, Hapur, Chandauli and Muzaffarnagar.