Surat : Students Fall ill at PP Savani institute due to food poisoning 

SURAT :  A suspected food poisoning episode at the P.P. Savani Education Institute hostel in Abrama has triggered panic among students and parents, with allegations of substandard food served at the mess and conflicting claims over what caused the illness. While the institute put the number of affected students at around 80-100, students and parents claimed the scale of the incident could be far higher, with estimates running into hundreds.

Several students reportedly developed vomiting, diarrhoea and other symptoms late Saturday night after consuming a hostel meal that included paneer-matar curry, rotli, buttermilk and tempered rice. Around six institute buses were reportedly used to take students to hospitals for treatment, prompting anxious parents to rush to the campus.

A parent said his daughter called on Saturday evening after learning that female students were being taken to hospital. “She initially had mild symptoms because she had eaten very little. But when she called again saying she had vomited twice, I told her that studies can wait. Her health comes first,” he said.

The incident has also sparked serious questions over the quality and safety of food served to hostel residents. A student claimed that around 600-800 students may have been affected and that the actual number could be even higher. The student alleged that dairy products such as paneer, milk and buttermilk could have been responsible, though the cause remains unconfirmed.

P.P. Savani hostel administrator Sapan Shroff said the hostel accommodates around 2,000 students and 450 staff members and claimed around 80-100 students fell ill. He said symptoms began around 11 pm to 11.30 pm and that affected students were immediately taken to hospital and treated.

However, the institute denied that hostel food was necessarily responsible. Teacher Gaurav Yadav said students had been consuming Ganpati prasad and sweets brought from outside during the ongoing Ganesh festivities, raising the possibility that outside food could have contributed to the illness.

The conflicting claims have intensified demands for transparency. The Surat Municipal Corporation’s Food Safety Team inspected the hostel kitchen and collected samples of the meal, including buttermilk, tempered rice, rotli and paneer-matar curry. The samples have been sent for laboratory testing, with results expected in around four to five days.

Health Minister Praful Pansheriya said around 100 students had fallen ill and recovered after receiving treatment. He said instructions had been issued for a special inspection drive covering government, semi-government and private hostels across Gujarat.

For worried parents, however, the immediate demand is clear: safe food, accountability and a definitive answer on what made so many students sick.