One hundred children became seriously ill after eating a school lunch containing a dead snake.
The reptile was discovered and removed from the meal by the school cook, yet still dished up to over 500 children in Mokama, northern India.
Scores of the kids then began vomiting and feeling dizzy, with over two dozen being admitted to a local hospital for treatment.
The lunchtime scare, which took place on April 24, triggered mass protests in the area against the school authorities.
Parents barricaded a local road in protest before government authorities stepped in to demand an investigation.
The country’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) began investigating the incident at the government school.
‘The commission has observed that the contents, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the students,’ the Commission said.
The police now have two weeks to report back to the NHRC with a detailed account of what happened.
India serves 120 million children free lunches in over 1.27 million schools.
The meals are part of a drive to encourage children to continue their education.
In 2013, 23 schoolchildren died after being eating a meal containing pesticides in Saran district of Bihar.
The incident led the Government to improve food safety in schools.
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