About 32 people with complaints of dizziness and vomiting, were admitted to hospitals across Roorkee on Sunday after consuming kuttu (buckwheat) flour, commonly eaten during the festival of Navratri.
According to Santosh Kumar, the Food Safety Officer, the suppliers of the grain are being traced and all remaining stock will be destroyed.
"We got information from a government hospital that several people had been admitted after they ate food made of kuttu flour. We have reached out to the police and the shopkeepers to find the suppliers and found the kuttu was brought in through trains that had supplied the main grain market. We have taken samples of the grain out of which the flour was made and are in the process of destroying all the remaining stocks," Kumar said.
Uttam Boss, a youth whose uncle was admitted to the hospital after eating chapatis of the kuttu said, "My uncle became very ill after eating roti made of kuttu. He started to vomit severely. Several others in the village also fell sick after eating the same thing. We request authorities to take strict action against the people responsible."
Another patient, Shubham Chaudhary, said that his whole family had to be admitted to a hospital after they ate chapatis made of kuttu for dinner.
"My family and I had 'kuttu ki roti' for dinner. A few hours later, all of us experienced dizziness and had bouts of vomiting and headache. The police must take action against people who sell such adulterated flour," Chaudhary said.
The festival this year is being celebrated in a restricted way due to the ongoing COVID-19 phase.
Also known as Sharad Navratri, the occasion is believed to mark Goddess Durga's victory over demon Mahishasura, signifying the victory of good over evil.
The 10th day of Sharad Navratri is celebrated as Dussehra or Vijaya Dashami.
Navratri began on Saturday and will come to an end on October 25.
( With inputs from ANI )
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