70 students taken ill after lunch at school in Indian capital

NEW DELHI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Seventy students at a school in the Indian capital territory Delhi fell ill after consuming their mid-day meal, the police said on Saturday.

The police received information on Friday evening that dozens of students vomited after having their meals at Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, a government-run school in Sagarpur locality of South West Delhi.

"The school authorities said students of classes six and eight were served a vegetable meal and then given Soya juice which caused stomach pain and vomiting," a police official said.

A total of 70 students were hospitalized at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and Dada Dev Hospital. The condition of all the students was said to be stable and out of danger.

Police also rushed forensic experts to the spot and collected samples of the food and juice from the school for examination.

An investigation was ordered into the case, and the Delhi government has issued a show-cause notice to the mid-day meal service provider and asked for a response, reports said.

The free Mid-Day Meal Scheme was launched by the Indian government back in 1995 to tackle hunger and boost attendance in government-run primary schools, whereas it was met with hygiene problems in recent years.

In 2013, at least 22 children died and dozens more were taken ill after eating lunch at a school in Bihar state.