Bhatkal: Panic spread at the Government MLA Model Higher Primary School in Mundgod, Uttara Kannada district, on Friday when 41 students complained of illness shortly after eating the midday meal and were admitted to the taluk hospital.

According to sources, a girl reportedly noticed something resembling a rat hair in her food plate shortly after lunch. She immediately felt nauseous and began vomiting. The news quickly spread from one classroom to another, prompting several children to complain of vomiting sensations and stomach pain. However, officials have not confirmed the presence of any rat hair in the food.

Some students who complained of stomach ache were taken by their parents to the taluk hospital. As multiple children were admitted around the same time, anxious parents rushed to the hospital, creating a tense atmosphere. A few parents expressed anger and dissatisfaction towards the teachers and the school administration. Later in the evening, a few hostel students and children at home also reported stomach pain and visited the hospital.

A team from the Health Department, led by Shrishaila Pattanashetty and Nagayya Hiremath, visited the school and collected samples of the cooked food, utensils used for preparation, and drinking water available to the students. Teachers were instructed to immediately bring any child showing symptoms of vomiting or stomach pain to the hospital.

Local MLA Shivaram Hebbar visited the hospital and enquired about the condition of the affected students. Speaking to reporters, he said, “More than 700 children had lunch today, and only 41 have shown symptoms. There is no need for parents to panic. If the food had truly been contaminated, many more students would have fallen ill. Still, I have directed the taluk panchayat executive officer to conduct a detailed investigation to ascertain the exact cause. All children are now stable.”

He further noted that this is the second such incident reported from the same school and assured that strict action will be taken if laboratory reports confirm contamination in the food.

Former MLA V. S. Patil, Tahsildar Shankar Gowdi, taluk panchayat EO T. Y. Dasanakoppa, Town Panchayat Chief Officer Santosh Kumar, KDCC Bank Director H. M. Naik, TAPCMS President Ravigouda Patil, and health officials including Dr. Narendra Pawar and Dr. Swarooparani Patil were also present.