More than 100 children fall sick after dead snake reportedly found in school lunch in India

India’s human rights body said Thursday it was investigating reports more than 100 children fell sick after eating a school lunch served after a dead snake was found in the food.

“Reportedly, the cook served the food to the children after removing a dead snake from it,” the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said in a statement.

The meal was served last week in a government-run school in the city of Mokama in Bihar, one of India’s poorest states, it said.

The commission demanded local government officials and police investigate media reports that “more than 100 children fell ill” after eating the school lunch.

About 500 children reportedly ate the meal, and the incident sparked angry demonstrations from the children’s families., the commission said.

“The news about the children falling ill, due to the consumption of the midday meal, led to the blocking of the road by the protesting villagers,” it said.

Free lunches are offered to millions of children in government schools throughout India, seen by authorities as a way to encourage children to continue their education.

The free meals, known as the Mid-Day Meal, were first introduced for children from poor backgrounds in the southern city of Chennai (Madras) in 1925, according to the BBC. However, there have been frequent complaints of poor food hygiene, the BBC reported.

The commission said it demanded a “detailed report” from senior state officials and the police, to include “the health status of the children.”

It said the report, if confirmed, poses the “serious issue of violation of the human rights of the students,” the statement added.

In 2013, 23 schoolchildren died after being served a meal laced with pesticides in Saran district of Bihar. The disaster prompted the government to improve food safety in schools.