Tribal welfare school student succumbs after food poisoning incident

A 16-year-old student, C. Shailaja, passed away on Monday at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad following a food poisoning incident at the Tribal Welfare Residential School in Wankidi mandal of Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district.

Shailaja, along with two other students from the same school, was admitted to NIMS on November 5 after experiencing severe gastroenteritis symptoms. While the other two students were discharged last week after recovering, Shailaja succumbed to complications, including internal bleeding in the brain.

“Shailaja was admitted in a critical condition and required mechanical ventilatory support. Though her condition initially improved, it began to deteriorate about 10 days ago, leading to her death,” said Dr. N. Satyanarayana, Medical Superintendent of NIMS.

The three students, aged between 13 and 16 years, were initially diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis, dehydration, and kidney-related complications. While two of them, E. Mahalakshmi (14) and K. Jyothi (13), were discharged in a stable condition, Shailaja’s health worsened despite intensive medical care. Siddipet MLA and former health minister T. Harish Rao took to X on Monday and blamed the Congress government for the death. He demanded that the government provide an ex gratia of ₹50 lakh to the family.

Political outcry

The incident sparked a flurry of political activity, with leaders from both the Congress and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) visiting the hospital. On November 5, Congress ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Konda Surekha met with the students’ families and assured them of a thorough investigation. Minister for Health C. Damodar Raja Narasimha directed hospital authorities to ensure free and comprehensive treatment for the affected students.

However, the incident also led to sharp political criticism. T. Harish Rao, on the same day during his visit to NIMS, accused the Congress government led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of neglecting the safety and infrastructure needs of schools and hostels.

On November 23, BRS MLC K. Kavitha visited Shailaja, who was in critical condition at the time, and criticised the current government. “When the BRS was in power, KCR regularly reviewed the status of schools and hostels. Now, these institutions are no longer safe, and such tragedies are becoming all too common,” she said.