Bihar school meal poisoning incident

Bihar school meal poisoning incident
Location of Bihar in India
Date16 July 2013 (2013-07-16)
LocationDharmasati Mata School,
Gandama village,
Mashrakh town,
state of Bihar
 India
Coordinates26°06′19″N 84°44′23″E / 26.10528°N 84.73972°E / 26.10528; 84.73972
CauseFood adulteration and yellow phosphorus poisoning
Deaths23

On 16 July 2013, 23–27 students died, and dozens more fell ill at a primary school in the village of Gandaman in the Saran district of the Indian state of Bihar after eating a Midday Meal contaminated with pesticide. Angered by the deaths and illnesses, villagers took to the streets in many parts of the district in violent protest. Subsequently, the Bihar government took a series of steps to prevent any recurrence of such incidents.