31 students hospitalised after lizard found in school meal, Chandrapur
Synopsis
Thirty-one students at a Maharashtra ashram school were hospitalised after a lizard allegedly fell unnoticed into their mid-day meal. All are stable, but the episode has ignited parental outrage and reopened the persistent question of whether food safety oversight at government residential schools is fit for purpose — especially weeks after a near-identical incident in Madhya Pradesh.
Key Takeaways
31 students from Shri Ambru Naik Secondary Ashram School , Nagarala , Chandrapur , were hospitalised on Tuesday after consuming their mid-day meal.
A lizard allegedly fell into the food while it was being cooked; the lapse reportedly went unnoticed by staff.
Students were first taken to the Primary Health Centre in Jivti , then transferred to the Sub-District Rural Hospital in Rajura .
All 31 students are reported to be in stable condition and under medical monitoring.
The Education Department and police have launched a joint investigation into the incident.
A similar incident affected more than 30 children at a government school in Sanwer, Indore district, Madhya Pradesh on 22 August .
Thirty-one students were hospitalised on Tuesday after falling ill following lunch served at Shri Ambru Naik Secondary Ashram School in Nagarala, Jiwati Tehsil, Chandrapur district, Maharashtra. According to officials, the meal was allegedly served to students despite a lizard having fallen into the food while it was being cooked — a lapse that reportedly went unnoticed by school staff.
How the Incident Unfolded
The mid-day meal was distributed to students at approximately 2:30 pm on Tuesday. Shortly after eating, students began complaining of nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and dizziness. All 31 affected students were first taken to the Primary Health Centre in Jivti for immediate care.
Due to inadequate medical facilities at the primary centre, the students were referred onward and subsequently admitted to the Sub-District Rural Hospital in Rajura, where they are currently undergoing treatment. Medical officials confirmed that the condition of all hospitalised students is stable and they are being monitored by doctors.
Outrage Among Parents and Villagers
The incident has triggered sharp anger among parents and local residents, who alleged that the school administration's negligence could have endangered the lives of the children. Families and villagers have demanded an impartial inquiry into the matter and strict action against the staff members and administrators found responsible.
Broader questions are also being raised about the adequacy of food safety and quality monitoring at ashram schools — residential government-run institutions that typically serve children from tribal and marginalised communities.
Investigation Under Way
The case is currently being jointly investigated by the Education Department and the police. Officials stated that the probe will determine whether food was indeed served to students with knowledge of the contamination, and which individuals bear responsibility for the lapse. The incident has drawn attention to systemic gaps in the supervision of mid-day meal programmes at such schools.
A Recurring Pattern
This is not an isolated occurrence. In a similar incident on 22 August, more than 30 children fell ill after consuming a mid-day meal at a government school in the Sanwer area of Indore district, Madhya Pradesh. The back-to-back episodes point to a broader, unresolved challenge in ensuring food safety standards across government school meal programmes in India.
Point of View
Which serve some of India's most vulnerable children from tribal and marginalised communities, operate with minimal independent food safety oversight. The fact that a lizard could fall into a cooking vessel and go undetected until students fell ill points to a structural failure, not a one-off lapse. Without mandatory third-party food safety audits and real accountability for school administrators, these incidents will keep recurring — and the next one may not end with all students in stable condition.
NationPress
1 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at the Chandrapur school that led to 31 students being hospitalised?
Thirty-one students at Shri Ambru Naik Secondary Ashram School in Nagarala, Chandrapur, fell ill after consuming their mid-day meal on Tuesday. A lizard allegedly fell into the food while it was being cooked and reportedly went unnoticed by staff before the meal was served at around 2:30 pm.
What is the current condition of the hospitalised students?
All 31 students are reported to be in stable condition. They were initially treated at the Primary Health Centre in Jivti and later transferred to the Sub-District Rural Hospital in Rajura, where they are being monitored by doctors.
Who is investigating the Chandrapur school food contamination incident?
The Education Department and the police are jointly investigating the incident. Officials said the probe will determine whether the food was knowingly served despite the contamination and which individuals are responsible for the negligence.
What action are parents and villagers demanding?
Parents and local residents are demanding an impartial inquiry into the incident and strict action against the staff members and school administrators found responsible for the alleged negligence.
Has a similar mid-day meal contamination incident happened recently elsewhere in India?
Yes. On 22 August, more than 30 children fell ill after consuming a mid-day meal at a government school in the Sanwer area of Indore district, Madhya Pradesh — a near-identical episode just days before the Chandrapur incident.
