An angry mob attacked an eatery in Kerala on Sunday, May 1, after a 16-year-old girl died and 49 children were hospitalised due to suspected food poisoning. The miscreants vandalised the store and also set a vehicle on fire. The girl, identified as Devananda of Karivellur in Kannur district, had eaten chicken shawarma on Friday, April 29, from the food outlet, called Ideal Food Point situated at Neeleswaram in Kasaragod. She passed away two days later on May 1. Visuals of the store showed several broken glass panes and one vehicle completely damaged and burnt.
The person who made the shawarma, Sandhesh, and the store's Managing Partner Anas have been arrested and booked under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide), and 272 (Adulterating food or drink intended for sale) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The owner of the outlet, identified as Ahmed, reportedly resides in Dubai and has been called for an investigation by the police. Authorities added that the restaurant did not have a valid licence from the Food Safety department.
According to sources, the outlet was situated near a tuition centre that the students attended. District Medical Officer (DMO) of Kasaragod, AV Ramdas, said that 31 people were admitted to a government hospital in Kanhangad, of which one person was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Four people were admitted to MIMS in Kannur and 10 to the Community Healthcare Centre (CHC) in Cheruvathoor. The parents of one of the children who fell sick shifted the child to a private hospital in Mangaluru in neighbouring Karnataka, while three more received treatment at Pariyaram. Some of the children were discharged on Monday as they were only admitted with mild symptoms.
The State Food and Civil Supplies Department, in a statement, said that the outlet was functioning without proper license from the department and has been sealed. The District Collector directed officials to conduct an investigation. State Health Minister Veena George has ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.
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