JAIPUR: Three people died after consuming an unknown substance at Apna Ghar Ashram (shelter home) in Kota on Monday morning. Around 15 people are already admitted to the hospital and the administration is working to know the cause of death.
According to the sources, people started feeling sick on Sunday night. They were later admitted to a hospital. Three of them died on Monday.
Talking to The New Indian, Kota district collector OP Bunkar, who visited the Ashram on Monday, said, “We have taken samples of food and water. Initial investigation points that the deaths were caused by consuming contaminated water.”
“There are two wings at the shelter home – male and female. The male wing is supplied water through RO but the female wing is getting direct supply from the borewell. It can be the cause of the death as it is the female inmates who had died. Even the ones who were admitted to the hospital are females. We are looking into the matter,” Bunkar said.
Bunkar, however, defended the shelter home administration. “The home is properly sanitized with quality food being given to the people living,” he said.
Apna Ghar NGO secretary Manoj Jain said that they are looking into this issue. “There is no negligence on our part and I don’t think there is any form of food poisoning. However, an investigation is going on. The post-mortem report of the three people who died will be made public soon. We should wait till the reports are released before jumping to a conclusion,” Jain said.
Apna Ghar is an NGO working for the last 12 years in many parts of the state. They give shelter to the destitute and homeless people. Many of the inmates do not have stable mental conditions. The Kota centre has around 270 people.