NEW DELHI, Feb 3: Over 170 persons have been hospitalised in a case of suspected food poisoning at an official event attended by Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and his health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at Karbi Anglong district on Tuesday. One youth also died but the police are yet to confirm if his death too occurred due to consumption of the same packed food served at a function marking the ceremonial launch of the first session of the Diphu Medical College Hospital (DMCH). District officials are yet to confirm the exact cause of the death.
“We have a report of one casualty at a place called Bokoliaghat. As per the initial police report, he died by suicide due to poisoning. As of now, we can’t say whether the youth died due to consumption of food at the event,” a senior police official said.
The Health minister who also attended the event, told journalists on Wednesday that he too had suffered from an upset stomach after consuming food at the event.
“As per our reports all patients admitted at DMCH are doing fine. Even I had the same meal from the same kitchen. I also had an upset stomach after that,” Sarma said at a media conference.
The Karbi Anglong district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
Officials at DMCH informed that till Wednesday 4 pm, 177 persons had been hospitalised due to diarrhea, acute stomach pain, vomiting and dehydration as a result of suspected food poisoning at Tuesday’s event.
“We have discharged 116 persons and 61 persons are admitted at the hospital. Those affected include a first year student of DMCH as well as some nursing students,” said Dr Ratul Thakur, superintendent (in-charge), DMCH.
“All patients are stable and recovering well. We have read media reports about the death of one person but that hasn’t happened in our hospital and we don’t know the cause of his death,” he added.
Meanwhile, in another incident in Assam, the wall of a school was badly damaged in a twin bomb blast in Hailakandi district near the Mizoram border early on Wednesday, official sources said.
The district administration has tightened security in the area along the border with Mizoram.
The twin blasts in the Muliwala Lower Primary School on the Assam side of the inter-state border took place around 1.30 am. The school is about 12 kilometres away from Ramnathpur police station.
Senior district and police officials including visited the blast site and took stock of the situation.
“The twin blasts have badly damaged the school building as well as the drinking water reservoir and boy’s toilet which were under construction. Though the situation is tense, it is under control. Security has been beefed up following the incident,” the district administration said in a statement.
Authorities did not say anything about any suspects in the case.
In October last year, several persons from both states were injured in violence along the Assam-Mizoram border after some residents of Vairengte in Kolasib district of Mizoram set on fire temporary huts made by residents of Lailapur in Cachar district of Assam on a stretch of disputed land.
Assam and Mizoram share a 164-km boundary and there have been territorial disputes between two states for many years.
(Manas Dasgupta)
