During the spirited Maha Shivratri mela in Palamu’s Raghuakhar village, tragedy struck when 20 children were hospitalized for foodborne illness linked to golgappas. Held in Dwarika under Panki block, the fair buzzed with locals from Yadav Tola, Jamuatand, and beyond, but contaminated snacks unleashed a flurry of gastric distress.
Illness signs—vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration—surfaced Sunday night, intensifying by Monday. Alert villagers summoned aid from Panki Community Health Center; medics with ambulances provided rapid evacuation and care. All children are stabilizing, per updates.
Dhruv Kumar Gupta’s personal account spotlights the peril: his boy joined the casualties. Extensive checks on 100 kids pinpointed the cases, as explained by Dr. Mahendra Prasad and Dr. Anil Kumar Srivastava.
The health department has bolstered on-site oversight and cautioned against lax hygiene at melas. MLA Dr. Shashi Bhushan Mehta’s aide Prakash Mehta, with Sunil Gupta and Roshan Singh, conducted an on-ground review.
Reflecting broader vulnerabilities, this event pressures authorities to enforce hygiene standards rigorously, ensuring festivals remain safe havens of joy rather than health hazards.