New Delhi: Weeks after a family of four died after sharing a watermelon laced with rat poison in Mumbai, a similar tragedy has struck Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district.
After sharing a watermelon, a 15-year-old boy has died, while three other children remain hospitalised. The children’s village falls under the Akaltara tehsil.
Speaking to ThePrint, Janjgir-Champa Superintendent of Police Nivedita Paul said that all four fell ill Sunday evening, following which they were rushed to the hospital the next day.
“Four children were visiting their maternal uncle’s house, where they consumed cut watermelon and fell terribly ill. The children showed symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting, which led to severe dehydration,” she said. “They were rushed to the district hospital on 11 May. One of them, a 15-year-old Akhilesh Dhivar, was declared dead.”
“The other kids are still hospitalised but are recovering and are much better,” she added. One of the hospitalised kids is nearly four years of age, while the other two are 11 and 13.
Asked whether she had spotted similarities with the Mumbai case, Nivedita Paul said, “Yes, I read about that case. But any clarification on this case can be given only after receiving the food safety department’s report.”
“We have preserved the viscera of the deceased, and a sample of the watermelon has been sent to the food department for analysis,” she added. “The whole case is under investigation. We will proceed with the findings of tests and other evidence.”
According to the Food and Drug Administration’s inspection letter—accessed by ThePrint—the death of Akhilesh Dhivar was reported on 11 May. The other affected children are Shri Dhivar (4), Himesh Dhivar (11), and Bhupinder Dhivar (13).
“Their grandmother had bought a watermelon from a street vendor near Nakta Mandir Mod, which the affected children consumed. Around 8 to 10 hours later, their health started to deteriorate, after which they were admitted to the Janjgir-Champa District Hospital,” the letter said.
The letter stated that one whole watermelon bought from the same vendor was handed over to Dr Deepak Sahoo at the district hospital for further examination. Dr Sahoo then handed it over to the FDA. The sample has been sent to its Raipur lab for analysis.
ThePrint also spoke to the health department’s District Surveillance Officer, Dr Deepak Sahoo. He said that at first, the family sought primary care from a local doctor, and the children felt better after receiving treatment and slept through the night. But the situation worsened the next day.
“In the morning—as informed by his family—Akhilesh, the deceased, got up, took a bath, and was fine. But after some time, he started feeling restless. At the same time, the other kids started vomiting. The parents got worried and rushed them to the hospital. Akhilesh, unfortunately, lost his life on the way,” he said.
Asked how the watermelon came under suspicion, he said that he enquired with the family about the circumstances leading up to the incident.
“They only had two to three episodes of diarrhoea and vomiting, and generally, kids do not get dehydrated this easily. Another thing I noted was that they were running a high temperature of 102 to 103 degrees Celsius. I also examined their internal organs and found redness in the tracts. Some organs showed signs of rupture. So I went back to the family,” he said.
“The family initially told me that they had chicken. But when I told them about the redness, they came to the conclusion that watermelon was the common thing the children had consumed. In addition, they told me that the watermelon was three days old,” he added.
When asked about the prima facie cause, Dr Sahoo said, “It can be a case of contamination. As doctors, we repeatedly advise people to maintain good hygiene and storage habits. But without a proper forensic and chemical evaluation, we cannot jump to any conclusions.”
According to the statement released by the authorities, the district collector has taken cognisance of the matter. The health department has been ordered to check on the health of other family members. The tehsildar has also been ordered to remain vigilant about the situation.
In the Mumbai case, two teens and their parents died in the Phydonie area on 26 April after consuming the poisoned watermelon. The Forensic Science Laboratory later confirmed the active ingredient in rat poison—zinc phosphide—in both the watermelon’s core and the victims’ viscera.
According to the latest report by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), 19.1 percent of tested fruit samples contain harmful pesticide residues.
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)