Mathura News: More than 120 people, including women and children, were hospitalised due to food poisoning after consuming items made with buckwheat flour, officials said on Tuesday. A District Food and Drug Administration team raided and sealed the shops of two vendors supplying the contaminated flour, and a case has been filed against them.

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The incident, which occurred last night, affected several villages in the Farah police station area of Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh. All victims are currently stable, according to officials. The affected people, who were fasting for Janmashtami, experienced symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness, and shivering after eating 'puris' and 'pakodas' made from the flour.

Priyanka, a teenager admitted to the government hospital, recounted,"We had fritters made from buckwheat flour last night. After that, I started vomiting and felt a burning sensation in my stomach." Pritam Singh, a resident of Parkham village, said that after eating the fritters, many people complained of dizziness and vomiting, noting that the flour was purchased from a local shop.

Mahesh, another resident, reported that his wife had become very weak and nearly unconscious. Dr Bhudev Prasad, in charge of the Rapid Response Team of the Health Department, noted that complaints of food poisoning were received from several villages in Farah during the night. Health Department teams, along with the Farah Community Health Centre (CHC), District Hospital, 100-bed Joint Hospital in Vrindavan, and SN Medical College in Agra, responded swiftly. Initially treated at the CHC, patients were later moved to other hospitals as the number of cases increased.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Ajay Kumar Verma reported on Tuesday morning that over 60 people had been admitted to various hospitals, with the number later revised to more than 120. The breakdown includes 43 patients at SN Medical College Hospital in Agra, 29 at the District Hospital in Mathura, 15 at the 100-bed Combined Hospital, 15 at Baba Jaigurudev Charitable Hospital, 10 at Chauhan Hospital, and others at the CHC in Farah.

Dr Verma mentioned that from 10 pm on Monday, people in Farah villages who were observing Janmashtami began experiencing stomachaches, vomiting, and diarrhea. While local treatment was initially provided, severe cases were transferred to the CHC and hospitals in Agra. The affected individuals, from Parkham, Baroda, Mirzapur, Makhdoom, and Khairat villages, had bought the contaminated flour from two suppliers, Jhagdu and Rajkumar, who obtained their stock from major grocery merchants in Farah.

In response to the incident, District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar Singh instructed the District Food and Drug Administration to raid and seal the suppliers' shops. Police are currently searching for the shopkeepers involved. The DM confirmed that the Food and Drugs Department is pursuing legal action and collecting samples from local shops. He assured that all victims are stable and continuing to receive treatment.