At least 44 students at a government girls’ hostel near Textile College More in Berhampore, Murshidabad, reportedly fell ill after dinner, prompting hospital treatment, a police complaint and the detention of a hostel cook for questioning. The allegation that a drug-like substance was mixed into the food has not been established, and the CCTV footage cited in the report has not been independently authenticated.
The students reported dizziness, nausea, vomiting sensations and repeated dryness of the throat. According to the report, the symptoms began after dinner on Saturday night, with residents falling ill one after another. Several students were taken to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital after hostel security guards assisted in transporting those who became unwell.
Some students and parents alleged that the symptoms were caused by a substance mixed into the night meal. The students specifically identified the paneer dish as the food in which the alleged substance may have been added. The report said that two students who did not eat the dish did not experience the same physical problems. This account remains an allegation and is not supported in the supplied material by a medical or forensic finding.
A CCTV recording from the hostel kitchen has emerged in connection with the allegations. The source report states that the footage appears to show the detained cook adding something to a cooking vessel, but also clearly notes that the authenticity of the footage has not been verified. The recording, by itself, does not establish what substance was added or whether it caused the students’ symptoms.
Several students filed a written complaint at Berhampore police station. Police said the allegations were being examined and that the cook had been detained for questioning. The supplied report does not state whether police collected food samples, ordered toxicology tests, or recorded a medical opinion linking the symptoms to contamination or drug exposure.
Parents who reached the hostel questioned why the authorities had not informed the police immediately after students began falling ill. Hostel authorities said their initial focus was on the students’ health and that they had been taking them to hospital one by one, leaving no time to contact the police. The authorities also said they were examining the truth of the allegations.
One parent, identified in the report as Ruma Haldar, said her first-year mathematics student had been staying at the hostel for about a week and had been unwell since the night of October 10. Another parent, Bimalkumar Mandal, said his daughter had complained of persistent dizziness and nausea. Their accounts describe the reported impact on families but do not establish the cause of the illness.
The incident raises immediate questions about food safety, medical response and reporting protocols in residential student facilities. The available account confirms that many students reported similar symptoms, that some required hospital care and that police have opened an inquiry. It does not yet confirm whether the episode resulted from food poisoning, another form of contamination, or any deliberate act.
The next steps identified in the report are the police questioning of the detained cook, examination of the written complaint and further investigation by the authorities. Confirmation of the cause will depend on authenticated CCTV evidence, medical findings and any testing of the food or other relevant samples, none of which is established in the supplied material.
