Chhindwara, Oct 16: Panic gripped people at a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara as more than 60 people suffered from diarrhoea, prompting the district administration to organise camps for an extensive medical checkup, officials said on Thursday.

Villagers fell sick suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea — many of them were rushed at a nearby a hospital for treatment.

However, all of them recovered within the next few hours after undergoing medical treatment, according to Chhindwara Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Hemkaran Dhruve.

According to official information, people fell ill due to consumption of contaminated water from a well in the village they were using from several years.

Panic gripped the village as one after another person using water from that particular well complained about the same problem.

The district administration took prompt action in the matter and send a medical team to conduct door-to-door medical check-up in Jarola village.

At least 120 people were checked during medical camps organised on Wednesday and Thursday.

“More 150 people were checked in medical camps held in Jarola village. At least 60 of them were found suffering from vomiting, fever, cough, and diarrhoea. However, they all have recovered after necessary treatment,” SDM Dhruve told media persons on Thursday.

Preliminary investigation revealed that people fell sick due to consumption of contaminated water from a well.

“Water samples from well and other water resources in the village have been collected and sent for testing,” the SDM said.

Chhindwara has recently witnessed the shocking Coldrif cough syrup tragedy that had killed 24 children in the past one-and-a-half month, including a four-year-old girl Ambika Vishwakarma, who battled for life for more than a month at a private hospital in Nagpur, died early on Wednesday.

After the unfortunate Chhindwara tragedy, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla said that there were 232 drug factories in the state, which were being investigated.

He added that the teams of the health department are also checking the quality control system of those drug-manufacturing units.

Each batch of drugs being supplied to the state government is thoroughly checked, the Deputy Chief Minister said, adding that the private supplies are also being monitored.

He said that he had written to the Tamil Nadu government seeking to know the name of the person behind issuing the license to the drug-making unit that produced the adulterated cough syrup.

The Deputy Chief Minister also sought to know whether any checking had been done before renewing the license.

He admitted that the tragedy occurred in Madhya Pradesh because of the lack of proper monitoring by the Tamil Nadu government.

New Delhi, Oct 16: The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned, to November 4, the hearing of a batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to conduct Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.

In a brief hearing, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi remarked that the poll body is aware of its statutory responsibility to disclose details of additions and deletions made to the voters’ list.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), submitted that the ECI must publish separate lists of names that were added and deleted, along with reasons for deletions.

“They (ECI) have not been putting out the final roll on their website. That needs to be done immediately,” he said.

In response, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the ECI, submitted that such directions from the apex court were unnecessary as the poll body was already in the process of publishing the final electoral rolls.

“Till tomorrow is the time, how can you say we will not put out?” argued Dwivedi.

At this, the Justice Surya Kant-led Bench observed that the matter was not closed and the ECI knew its responsibility.

“They (ECI) know their responsibility and after doing addition and deletion, they are bound to publish it,” the apex court remarked, adding that final lists must be available to political parties and polling agents in each constituency.

It also noted the ECI’s submission that no appeals against deletions had been filed despite the availability of legal aid, as directed by the previous apex court order.

On the larger constitutional question raised by petitioners regarding the ECI’s power to conduct a SIR of the electoral rolls, the bench asked the ECI to file written submissions.

In the previous hearing, the Justice Surya Kant-led Bench requested the Bihar State Legal Services Authority (BSLSA) to communicate with the District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) to ensure the availability of paralegal volunteers and legal aid lawyers who can assist the persons omitted from the voters’ list in filing appeals.

“The DLSAs must publicise contact details of these volunteers across villages, coordinate with Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and ensure that all eligible citizens are informed of their rights,” the apex court ordered, asking BSLSA to file a status report within a week.

In that hearing, the ECI refuted the allegations that a large number of names were deleted from the final voter list following the SIR of the electoral rolls in Bihar.

Palakkad, Oct 16: A wave of anger and grief swept through Palakkad after a Class 9 student from Kannadi Higher Secondary School allegedly committed suicide, leading to the suspension of two staff members and the temporary closure of the school.

State Education Minister V. Sivankutty on Thursday directed the district Education authorities to conduct a detailed probe into the incident and submit a report.

The 14-year-old student, identified as Arjun from Pallenchathannur, was found dead at his home earlier this week.

His family has accused a class teacher of mental harassment that allegedly pushed him to take the extreme step.

Police have launched an investigation based on the family’s complaint, and the school will remain closed for four days.

The incident has triggered massive protests from students, parents, and political organisations.

According to the family, the teacher, identified as Asha, had threatened to file a complaint with the Cyber Cell and have Arjun jailed over a message sent on Instagram.

“She humiliated him in front of the class and even called the Cyber Cell during class hours. He was visibly disturbed after that,” one of his classmates said.

Soon after news of the “suicide” broke, students boycotted classes and staged a sit-in on the school campus.

Several student organisations joined the agitation and laid siege to the principal’s office, demanding immediate action.

The situation escalated when the principal, Lisy, defended the teacher, saying no wrongdoing had occurred, further intensifying the protests.

Amid mounting pressure, the school management convened an emergency meeting and decided to suspend both the class teacher and the principal, pending inquiry.

Education officials have sought a detailed report on the incident, and counselling support has been arranged for students.

The tragic incident has reignited a debate on mental health, bullying, and accountability in schools.

Police officials said statements are being recorded from students, staff, and the teacher involved.

A case has been registered, and further action will follow based on the investigation.