Hundreds of Bihar students hospitalised after rumours of snake in mid-day meal trigger panic

More than 150 students were hospitalised in Bihar’s Saharsa district on May 7 after falling ill following the consumption of a mid-day meal at a government school, with panic spreading after claims emerged that a baby snake had been found in the food served to children.

The incident took place at Middle School Baluaha in Saharsa’s Mahishi block, where students were served rice and lentils as part of the government-run mid-day meal programme.

According to officials and local reports, several children began complaining of stomach pain, vomiting, dizziness and nausea shortly after lunch.

District authorities said affected students were initially taken to a nearby primary health centre before many were shifted to Saharsa Sadar Hospital for treatment.

Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar said the condition of the students had improved and most cases involved mild symptoms, though the children were kept under observation.

Family members of some students alleged that a snake was discovered in the container containing cooked pulses during meal distribution. According to media reports, a baby snake was allegedly found while food was being served, after which panic spread rapidly among students.

Authorities, however, had not officially confirmed the claim at the time of reporting and said food samples had been sent for examination.

The meal was reportedly supplied through an NGO operating under the school nutrition programme. Officials said an investigation had been launched to determine whether contamination, panic, or another factor led to the large number of students falling ill.

The incident has once again drawn attention to recurring safety concerns surrounding India’s mid-day meal scheme, officially known as the PM POSHAN programme.

Introduced nationally in 1995, the scheme provides free cooked meals to children in government and aided schools with the aim of improving nutrition, attendance and classroom retention.

According to Union Education Ministry data, the programme covers nearly 11 crore children across India and remains one of the world’s largest school feeding initiatives.

However, food contamination incidents and hygiene failures have repeatedly raised concerns over monitoring and implementation standards in several states.

Bihar, in particular, has witnessed multiple controversies linked to school meals over the years. In 2013, 23 children died in Saran district after consuming food contaminated with pesticide, one of the deadliest mid-day meal tragedies in the country.

More recently, the National Human Rights Commission issued notices to Bihar authorities in another alleged incident involving a dead snake found in a school meal in Patna district.

Data from parliamentary responses and state-level reports have also shown periodic cases of food poisoning linked to contaminated meals, poor storage practices and inadequate kitchen infrastructure in schools across several states.

In February this year, around 70 students reportedly fell ill after consuming a mid-day meal at a government school in Bihar’s Madhepura district.

Officials in Saharsa said the exact cause of the latest incident would be known only after medical and laboratory examination reports are completed.