The Telangana Human Rights Commission (TGHRC) has sought a detailed report from the Wanaparthy District Collector after taking suo motu cognizance of alleged food poisoning among girl students at a government hostel in Pebbair, placing food safety and institutional accountability at the centre of the case.
The incident was reported at the hostel of the Government Women’s Polytechnic College in Pebbair, Wanaparthy district, after students allegedly fell ill following a dinner that included chicken on October 7. The number of affected students was reported as about several girl students, but the supplied report does not provide a confirmed figure.
The Commission, headed by chairperson Dr Justice Shameem Akther, acted on a news report published in a vernacular newspaper. According to the report cited by the TGHRC, the students’ illness was allegedly attributed to viral fever by the hostel warden and her husband, who were also accused of attempting to conceal the circumstances of the incident.
The allegations have not been established by the Commission at this stage. Its intervention will require the district administration to document what happened, assess the health condition of the affected students and explain the medical treatment provided to them.
The TGHRC has called for a detailed report from the Wanaparthy District Collector covering the circumstances of the incident, the students’ condition and the response to their illness. The direction places responsibility on the district administration to provide an official account of the episode and the actions taken after students reportedly became unwell.
The case also brings attention to the administrative chain behind food and health safeguards in government-run student hostels. While the supplied report does not specify the inspection system, kitchen arrangements, food-safety checks or medical protocols followed at the Pebbair hostel, these details are now part of the information the Commission has sought through the district report.
For students living in residential educational institutions, food preparation and health response are not only campus-management issues. They involve the responsibility of public authorities to maintain safe living conditions, respond promptly when illness is reported and preserve accurate records of medical treatment and institutional action. The Commission’s proceedings will determine whether the reported illness was linked to the meal and whether any attempt was made to misrepresent the incident.
The matter has been posted for November 6, 2026, when the report from the Wanaparthy District Collector is due to be submitted. Further details about the number of affected students, the medical findings and any administrative action will depend on that report.
