Boy dies after eating Holi dinner at Malavalli school

28 students hospitalised; food poisoning suspected

Mandya: A 13-year-old student from the residential school of Gokul Educational Institution in T. Kagepura village, Malavalli taluk, died after consuming food distributed at the hostel on Friday night.

The food, leftover from a Holi celebration organised elsewhere by a businessman, was served to the students. Following the meal, 28 other students fell ill, experiencing severe vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration.

The deceased student has been identified as Kerlang from Meghalaya, a sixth-standard student.

The food was served as dinner on March 14. A businessman from Malavalli had organised a grand Holi celebration at a different venue.

Leftover food from the event was later distributed to the 29 orphaned children residing at the hostel run by Gokul Educational Institution. Among the 29 students, only two are local, while the rest are from Meghalaya and Nepal, being fed and educated by the institution.

By Saturday morning, Mar. 15, nine children began showing symptoms of food poisoning and were treated at the nearby Thalagavadi Primary Health Centre. However, their condition worsened overnight, and by Sunday morning, severe complications forced their emergency admission to Malavalli Taluk   General Hospital.

Among the affected was Kerlang, whose condition deteriorated rapidly and died later. The children were later shifted to the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) for specialised treatment. Soon after, all 29 students developed complications and were transferred to MIMS for advanced care.

The affected children are being treated under the supervision of Taluk Health Officer Dr. P. Veerabhadrappa and General Hospital Administrator Dr. Sanjay.

Mandya Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr. Kumara and Superintendent of Police (SP) Mallikarjuna Baladandi visited both the hostel and the hospitals to take stock of the situation. District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. Mohan and Tahsildar S.V. Lokesh also visited the hospital to monitor the treatment.

With their condition deteriorating, over 10 children remain under intensive care at MIMS, while others are recuperating under medical supervision. DHO Dr. Mohan confirmed to Star of Mysore that the businessman had distributed leftover food from the Holi celebration to the hostel students, leading to the tragic incident.

“We have sent food samples for laboratory analysis and the contents will be examined. A case has been registered at the Malavalli Rural Police Station and action will be taken against those responsible,” Dr. Mohan stated. Meanwhile, Mandya District Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy visited MIMS today to assess the condition of the affected students.