Anakapalli: Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha has expressed deep concern over the tragic deaths of three children who consumed contaminated food at an ashram school in Anakapalli. During his visit to the hospital, he met with the students receiving treatment at King George Hospital (KGH) and offered them words of encouragement. He was accompanied by MP Bharath and MLAs Palla Srinivasu and Vishnu Kumar Raju.
In a statement, Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha criticized the negligence that led to this tragedy. “There are a total of 92 children, out of which 82 fell ill, and sadly, three of them lost their lives. Fourteen are still undergoing treatment at KGH,” he stated.
The Minister emphasized that the situation was exacerbated by the failure to send the children to the hospital immediately after they fell ill. He assured that a case has been registered against Pastor Kiran, who will be arrested soon. Additionally, the government has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased children.
The investigation has revealed that the children fell ill after consuming food brought from an outside function. The Minister questioned, “Who sent the food? Who brought the samosas?” and assured that a thorough investigation is underway. He also noted that the ashram school was involved in religious teachings and had motivated parents to send their children there.
The Minister further announced that all such hostels across the state would be closed. “We have already identified two such hostels in Visakhapatnam district, and orders have been issued to shut them down,” he confirmed.