Sajanagad: At least 15 students fell sick while three girls among them fainted while participating in a drill session on the Odisha Adarsh Vidyalaya premises at Jamudiha panchayat under Nilagiri block of Balasore district, Saturday.
The affected girls were identified as Harapriya Patra, Jyotshnarani Behera and Kabita Jena. Two of them are in Class-IX while another is a student of Class-VIII.
Over 200 students were participating in the drill session on the school premises. School authorities immediately rushed the sick girls to Nilagiri hospital where they received preliminary treatment, and later shifted to the district headquarters hospital for advanced treatment.
Contacted, headmaster Karunakar Panda rejected the charges stating that the girls became unconscious not because of drill but due to strenuous travelling on empty stomach from distant places since morning. The students developed acidity due to an empty stomach for which they fell unconscious.
Locals, however, spoke in contrast stating that the reason behind their sickness is the unhygienic food served at the private hostels. Many students also come cycling from a distance of over 10 km.
They alleged that the hostel works on the school premises have been completed but the authorities are yet to make it functional and accommodate the students. As a result, students coming from faroff places are forced to reside in some private hostels functioning around the schools.