Bihar mid-day meal tragedy: Blood samples of children show acute poisoning

Patna: Serum tests conducted on blood samples of four children, who are in critical condition after consuming the fatal free lunch at their school last week in Bihar's Chhapra, indicate that the victims were exposed to "acute poisoning". The results of the tests, held in Mumbai, suggest that a toxic substance was mixed with the food immediately before it was served to the children. 23 died while several others were hospitalised after eating the mid-day meal.

A forensic report, last week, had revealed that the oil used to prepare food for the children contained the pesticide monocrotophos in levels that were "very toxic" for humans. The World Health Organisation in a statement, on Monday, said it had asked India to ban the toxic substance as early as in 2009. 

The government has now set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the tragedy. The eight-member team will be headed by Chhapra's Superintendent of Police, Sujit Kumar.

But the headmistress of the school, Meena Devi, and her husband, who allegedly supplied groceries used for the meal, are still on the run. Both went missing since the children began falling ill last week. A court has issued an arrest warrant for Meena Devi in whose home five empty packets of the insecticide were found on Sunday. Police have announced that a brain-mapping test will be conducted on the headmistress after she is arrested.

The children who were killed were between the ages of 4 and 10. Some of them were buried in a mark of protest by their parents near the entrance of their school.

The magnitude of the tragedy has provoked a national debate on the world's largest school-feeding programme and how it is implemented.