Odisha: Over 40 Students Fall Ill At Ravenshaw University Hostels After Suspected Food Poisoning
Key Points
More than 40 students from Ravenshaw University hostels fell ill after eating allegedly contaminated food.
Affected students hospitalized at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
Cuttack, July 13: A health scare struck Ravenshaw University in Cuttack as over 40 students residing in the New PG Hostel and Dharmapada Hostel fell ill after allegedly consuming contaminated food, officials said on Sunday.
The affected students were immediately rushed to SCB Medical College & Hospital’s non-trauma casualty ward, where 23 have been admitted to a separate ward for dedicated treatment.
A special medical team formed by SCB is currently supervising their care, with senior doctors monitoring progress. The university's registrar and the superintendent of SCB visited the hospital and reviewed the situation on-site.
While the exact cause of the incident remains unclear, initial complaints suggest possible food poisoning linked to poor hostel food quality or contaminated water supply.
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✨The incident has raised serious questions about the safety and standards of food provided in university hostels. Local MLAs including Debi Ranjan Tripathy, Soubhik Biswal, and Prakash Sethi have expressed concern, calling for a high-level investigation into the matter.
Tripathy emphasized that although the students’ conditions are stable, the outbreak may stem from toxic food or unsafe water, both of which will be investigated. The lawmakers highlighted that such a crisis severely undermines the reputation of Ravenshaw University, which was recently elevated to global recognition.
Meanwhile, the university administration has promised to cooperate fully with inquiry teams and ensure preventive measures to protect students in the future.