One Dead, 36 Hospitalised in Chhattisgarh After Drinking Contaminated Water

A case of death by negligence has been registered against the college where the students were staying.

One nursing student died and 36 others were hospitalised in the last three days after drinking contaminated water in Chhattisgarh's Durg district. Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo: iStock)

One nursing student died and 36 others were hospitalised in the last three days after drinking contaminated water in Chhattisgarh's Durg district. The 19-year-old student of Rastogi College in Durg couldn't be saved, officials said on Tuesday, 2 August.

The college management was allegedly trying to hide the incident, and it only came to light after the private hospital, where these girls were admitted, informed the officials of the district's health department.

Close to 40 students complaining of vomiting and dysentery were admitted to the Hi-tech hospital between Saturday, 30 July and Monday, 1 August.

The students lived in the women's hostel of Rastogi College near Nehru Nagar Area.

“A girl student identified as Kamini Churendra, a nursing student, who had fallen ill after Saturday had gone to her home in neighbouring Balod district. She was later admitted to a hospital in Rajnandgaon district where she died on Sunday,” a statement by the Durg district administration read.

Case of Death by Negligence Registered

The Durg district administration said that a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 304 (causing death by negligence) has been registered.

Durg Collector Pushpendra Meena along with Durg Chief Medical Health Officer (CMHO) JP Meshram and other officials are investigating the incident.

An inspection of the hostel has already been carried out by Meshram and a team of officials found that the water cooler of the hostel wasn't functioning properly.

"We got to know that some students were admitted to the Hi-tech hospital. We visited the hospital and there were 39 female students who were admitted. We also visited the college hostel and samples have been taken which have been sent for examination," Meshram said.