Tamil Nadu Teen Dies After Overdosing on Vitamin Tablets Over a Bet

A 13-year-old schoolgirl died on Thursday, 9 March, in Salem after overdosing on nutrient tablets.

Six students, four girls and two boys, overdosed on nutrient tablets on 6 March as part of a bet.

(Photo: FIT)

A 13-year-old schoolgirl died on Thursday, 9 March, in Salem’s Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College after allegedly overdosing on nutrient tablets, following a bet.

Zaibha Fathima, a Class 8 student at the Urdu Middle School, was admitted to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) on Monday.

She succumbed at the Salem hospital, after her condition deteriorated, while she was being taken to Chennai for further treatment.

Here’s what happened.

A Bet Gone Wrong: Six students, four girls and two boys, overdosed on nutrient tablets on 6 March as part of a bet. The pills were distributed in the school under the Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Programme. 

But all four girls, including Fathima, developed health complications and had to be hospitalised at the CMCH. Fathima, who had a high fever and trouble breathing, developed liver failure.

Following the incident, the School Education Department of Tamil Nadu suspended the school’s headmaster and the teacher-in-charge of the pill distribution programme.

Ex-Gratia To The Kin: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Friday, announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the deceased’s kin, while also announcing Rs 1 lakh compensation to the other hospitalised students – Nasjiya, Ayesha, and Gulthoon Nisha.