IIIT Basara students suffer food poisoning after eating hostel food, probe ordered

The students were served egg fried rice, which was allegedly prepared with rotten eggs and other expired ingredients

Barely a month after they sat on a week-long protest demanding proper amenities and hygienic food, at least a hundred students of IIIT Basara fell ill after consuming the lunch served in the campus hostel on Friday.

The K Chandrasekhar Rao government had assured them of resolving all their problems and made them call off their strike.

These students were served egg fried rice, which was allegedly prepared with rotten eggs and other expired ingredients. In the suspected case of food poisoning, the students who consumed lunch began throwing up and complained of severe stomach pain, dizziness and other symptoms soon after.

While many were treated within the campus, with 14 medical teams called in from outside, 15 students had to be admitted to the Nizamabad government hospital as their condition was of concern.

“Around 100 students were affected but all of them have recovered, there is no danger to anyone. The parents need not be worried,” Musharraf Farooqui, Nirmal district collector, told reporters.

A probe has been initiated and the official said that the contractors of the two messes where the food was served are booked by the police.

Expressing concern over the incident, Telangana education minister Sabitha Reddy said that strict action would be taken on the culprits and measures would be taken to ensure such hazards do not reoccur.

Over 7,000 students of the IIIT Basara, officially known as Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies, called off their week long agitation on June 21 after Sabitha Reddy held talks with their representatives in the campus, assuring them to resolve all their demands gradually.

The students had boycotted the classes demanding better food, hostel and teaching amenities and appointment of regular faculty and a full time Vice-Chancellor to solve all the years long pending issues.

The Opposition BJP and Congress attacked the K Chandrasekhar Rao government “for failing to live up to its assurances, and continuing to ignore the students' plight.” Several students demanded action against the institution officials for negligence.