A 10-year-old girl died after she and two other students at a residential madrasa fell ill in a suspected food poisoning incident at Supaul. Elsewhere, in Bhagalpur, three girls at a residential school were hospitalised after consuming tea accidentally prepared with phenyl.

The two separate incidents have prompted official inquiries into safety arrangements at the institutions.

In Supaul, three girls at a madrasa fell ill after dinner on Monday, following which they were rushed to a private medical facility. Supaul Superintendent of Police Sarath R S told that the condition of one of them deteriorated and she died during treatment on Tuesday.

“The girl’s post-mortem had been conducted and further proceedings would follow. The other two are stable,” he said, adding that, “The actual reason for the death will become clear only after the investigation and the report.”

Meanwhile, a madrasa management, speaking to local media, said around 60-65 girls study and reside at the institution, which has been operating for about two years. The deceased girl had reportedly been staying there for around one-and-a-half to two years.

“The students had appeared well until Monday evening. The mother of the deceased girl had visited her earlier in the day and left after giving her sweets and a samosa brought from a fair. Later that night, the girls who had eaten those became unwell. The family was informed and the girl was taken to hospital,” the management said.

Inspection at madrasa

After receiving information about the incident, a district education department team inspected the madrasa on the directions of the District Magistrate.

Story continues below this ad

“Officials examined the institution’s functioning, facilities, residential arrangements and documents, including whether it had permission to accommodate students and whether prescribed rules were being followed,” a source said, claiming that a preliminary assessment suggested possible food poisoning.

In the separate Bhagalpur incident, three girls at a residential school in Naugachia fell ill after mistakenly using phenyl kept in a glass as milk while preparing tea on Monday evening.

“The students were taken to the local community health centre for initial treatment and later, referred to a hospital in Bhagalpur, where they remain under medical supervision,” another source said.

Naugachia Police and District Education Officer has sought details from the school management and said action will be taken after investigating how phenyl came to be stored in a glass in the kitchen and whether any staff member or other responsible person was negligent.