2 women die after eating prasada, 10 in hospital

Just a month after 12 people died after consuming temple prasada in Chamarajanagar, one person died and 10 were admitted to hospitals after eating prasada at a temple in Chintamani in Chikkaballapur district on Friday.

The deceased have been identified as Kavitha (28) and Saraswathamma (56). Among the 10, including two children and four women, who were admitted to hospitals in Chintamani and Kolar are Kavitha’s two children Ganavi and Sharani, her husband Gangadhar V and his father Venkataramappa. All of them are said to be out of danger and will be under observation.

According to the police, around 2,000 people attended Friday night’s puja from 6 pm to 9 pm at the Gangamma temple in Chintamani’s Narasimhapete. Preliminary inquiries revealed that kesari bath was distributed to around 500 visitors. Kavitha’s family members, Narayanamma and Raja had taken the prasada home, and consumed it at night after distributing it to a family in the neighbourhood and a woman friend Saraswathamma.

After consuming the prasada, all of them started vomiting and complained of abdominal pain. A few of them had loose motions after which they were rushed to hospitals.

Kavitha had severe vomiting and was dehydrated. She stopped responding to treatment in the morning and was declared dead, the police said, quoting the doctors. Saraswathamma died in R L Jalappa Hospital in Kolar on Saturday night.

The police visited the Gangamma temple and questioned the priests who told the police that the kesari bath was not prepared at the temple but was brought by some devotees who had taken a vow that they would offer it to devotees. The prasada samples have been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory in Bengaluru. Investigation ruled out foul play. It is suspected that the ingredients in the prasada were stale and the portion that the victims took home caused food poisoning.