India probes reports of dead snake in school lunch poisoning kids

Authorities in India are investigating reports that a dead snake in a public school lunch caused dozens of children to fall ill.

Authorities in India are investigating reports that a dead snake in a public school lunch caused dozens of children to fall ill.

More than 100 students became sick in the northeastern town of Mokama last week, the country’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said in a statement Thursday.

A school cook reportedly served the food to about 500 children after removing a dead snake from it, the commission said, citing reports from local media.

The NHRC has demanded that local police provide a “detailed” report of the incident within two weeks, which is expected to include the health status of the affected children, the statement added.

If the reports are true, the case would be a serious "violation of the human rights of the students,” the commission said, adding that villagers, angered by the reports, had blocked a road in protest.