Violent protests in India over food meal deaths

Violent protests erupted in the Indian state of Bihar after 22 children died and dozens more fell ill from eating a free school lunch believed to be contaminated with a chemical used in pesticides. Four police vehicles were set on fire during the protests by parents and hundreds of villagers, the BBC reported. The school’s cook was reported as saying she thought a new type of cooking oil was what caused the poisoning. The Mid-Day Meal Scheme offers children free food but suffers from poor hygiene. The children brought to the hospital showed symptoms of organo-phosphorous poisoning. “Organo-phosphorus is a compound also used as a pesticide for crops. It is very dangerous. Even a small quantity of it would prove fatal for small children,” a doctor at the district hospital said.

Read the full story on the BBC.