Andhra Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (AP SCPCR) Chairman Kesali Apparao on Sunday, November 10 visited the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), Srikakulam campus and inquired from the students about food poisoning. SCPCR will initiate the action on the tainted staff, he said.

On Sunday, he visited the campus and inspected the mess, canteen and hostel along with IIIT Director Professor Jagadeeswarrao and other hostel wardens. On this occasion, he directed the IIIT officials to submit a detailed report on the alleged food poisoning in the next three days, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express. Speaking on this occasion, SCPCR Chairman K Apparao said that at least 225 students fell ill with alleged food poisoning according to their primary inquiry. Few of them were in RIMS hospital and all are stable. They will continue the medical camp on campus for the next three days.

Food poisoning incidents in IIIT
The IIIT Basara campus observed food poisoning incidents in July and August. To recall, over 400 students of the first and second year of PUC fell ill after eating lunch served in a mess on the campus in Nirmal district on July 15. As per the data accumulated by the members of the Hakku Initiative, a social campaign of the Institute of Perception Studies, Delhi, in August 2022, 347 students fell ill due to contaminated food/water in various government residential schools/colleges/hostels in Telangana.

Overall, in a span of eight months, 1,070 students suffered from food poisoning. Out of 33 districts in Telangana, 17 districts reported food poisoning cases, namely Adilabad, Asifabad, Nirmal, Mancherial, Kamareddy, Sircilla, Karimnagar, Sangareddy, Medak, Siddipet, Hanumakonda, Vikarabad, Mahabubnagar, Mahabubabad, Nalgonda, Gadwal and Khammam.