UP class 1 girl dies after choking on berry seed, principal suspended

A class 1 student of a government primary school in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia choked on a seed of berry she was eating and died, an education department official said. He ruled out the possibility of the mid-day meal at the school having caused the girl’s death. The school is located in the Bansdih Road area of Ballia. Following the incident, district magistrate Aditi Singh ordered the suspension of the school principal and directed basic education officer Shiv Narain Singh to probe the matter.

The incident occurred at around 1pm when the student was playing with her friends on the school campus after consuming the mid-day meal with 35 other students. She also consumed a few berries and a seed got stuck in her throat, said the basic education officer.

“The girl’s friends raised an alarm and informed the teacher that she had fainted. The school staff took the girl to a hospital where she was declared dead,” said Ballia superintendent of police, Vipin Tada. Another official said that the food samples and berries recovered from her bag were sent for forensic tests.

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The girl’s body has been sent for a post-mortem examination and the report is awaited. The director general of school education, Vijay Kiran Anand, confirmed that the school principal was suspended and the matter was being investigated. Anand ruled out the possibility of food poisoning in the mid-day meal because no other student developed complications.

Government primary schools across UP reopened on Monday after nearly a year-long closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.