The incident happened in Tulasi Nagar in Ramgiri village in R Udaygiri block on Sunday
Representational Pic/File
Two sisters died of suspected food poisoning in Odisha's Gajapati district after eating a special 'sattu', meant for underweight babies, supplied by the local Anganwadi Centre, officials said on Monday.
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The incident happened in Tulasi Nagar in Ramgiri village in R Udaygiri block on Sunday.
The deceased were aged six and three. While the elder sister died on the way to the hospital, the younger breathed her last undergoing treatment, the officials said.
Another sister and their father are in critical condition at the MKCG Medical College Hospital, doctors said.
Describing the incident as “highly shocking and unfortunate”, opposition BJD demanded resignation of the state’s women and child development (WCD) minister, owning moral responsibility.
Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who is also in charge of the WCD department, was not available for comments.
The bodies of the two children were sent for post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of the death.
"We have ordered an inquiry into the incident. Though other families in the village had also received the same ‘sattu’ (protein-rich flour), no complaint came from them. The government has made all arrangements for proper treatment of the ill father and daughter," District Collector Bijay Kumar Dash told PTI.
The bag of 'sattu' was recovered from the house of the deceased and sent for tests, the officials said.
Anganwadi workers have been asked not to distribute it till the test results arrive, they said.
An ASHA worker, who brought the deceased to the hospital, said they complained of stomach pain and vomited.
Addressing a press conference at ‘Sankha Bhawan’, the state headquarters of BJD, party spokesperson Lekhashree Samantsinghar said: "It is highly unfortunate and shocking that a day on which our President is in the state, two tribal children have died consuming poisonous meal.” She said earlier four tribal women had died in Kandhamal district after consuming mango seed kernel.
“These are cases of criminal negligence by the Women and Child Development Department. We demand that the minister take responsibility and immediately resign. We also demand action against shops supplying ‘sattu’ and compensation for the victims' family,” Samantsinghar said.
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