Image credit : Illustrative Image

Coimbatore : The controversy over the Dalit woman cook in a government school in nearby Tirupur district, is taking a larger dimension after complaints of students vomiting and having nausea immediately after consuming noon meal prepared by her.

Twelve 12 students were hospitalised after they fell ill and started vomiting after partaking the noon meal yesterday at Thirumalaigoundermpalayam Government School. The meal reportedly had a lizard, police said today.

The woman cook, Pappal was transferred to another school after parents of some non-dalit students barred their wards a month ago from taking food prepared by a dalit.

However, she was reinstated two days later and the matter had gone up to the National Commission for SC/ST and cases were registered against 87 persons.

The incident of reported food poisoning happened a day after Pappal’s husband had petitioned seeking protection to his family.

Quoting the claims of Pappal, police sources said she and her daughter had taken the same food and there was a conspiracy to
throw her out the school.

“Someone might have put a lizard in the food, as part of their plan,” she said.

After the allegations by the parents that they found a lizard in the plate of a student, which caused the nausea among others also, school headmistress Sasikala alerted the officials of education department.

The food was consumed by 31 students and 12 children, including a boy, complained of vomiting and were admitted to Avanashi Government Hospital.

Chief Educational Officer S Shanthi and senior district, health and police officials reached the spot and carried out an inquiry.
Sasikala lodged a complaint of negligence of duty against Pappal. Investigation is on.