Children poisoned by school meals in Indian village

In northeastern India, 22 children were killed and more than 25 others were hospitalized after consuming free school lunches containing poison. The poison in the food was organophosphorus, which is a nerve agent related to sarin gas. Exposure to the chemical can cause difficulty breathing and seizures.

In order to fight malnutrition in India, many schools have been offering children one free hot meal a day. The school’s cook had been concerned about the oil she was using in the food, but the headmistress admonished her, according to Bihar Education Minister P.K. Shahi. He said, “The information which has come to me indeed suggests that the headmistress was told by the cook that medium of cooking was not proper, and she suspected the quality of the oil. But the headmistress rebuked her, and chastised the children, and forced them to continue the meal.”