Severe food poisoning has left one person dead and at least thirty others ill in Dharmanagar on Saturday night. The incident occured after the victims attended a Pratishtha ceremony at the Shiva Temple held at the home of Arun Nath in ward no-4 of Dewanpasa Gram Panchayat, Dharmanagar sub-division. Attendees consumed Prasad on Thursday and subsequently developed symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and headache, leading to hospital admissions.
On Saturday night, Shalindra Debnath, 59, died at a nursing home in Shakaibari, Dharmanagar. Another person’s condition is reported as critical. In response, a team of food safety officers visited Arun Nath’s house, collected spice samples used in the Prasad, and interacted with those under treatment in hospitals.
Anik Debnath, the son of the deceased, along with Sudarshan Nath and Ashutosh Nath, informed the media that symptoms appeared after consuming the Prasad, which included fruits and khichdi. They suspect the incident to be a case of food poisoning.
