'Kuttu ka atta' leaves 200 ill during Navratri fasting in Delhi; probe on

Around 200 people have fallen ill due to food poisoning allegedly after consuming buckwheat flour (‘kuttu ka atta’) during Navratri fasting in northwest Delhi, the police said on Tuesday.

The patients, hailing from various areas, including Jahangirpuri, Mahendra Park, Samaypur, Bhalswa Dairy, Lal Bagh and Swaroop Nagar, were found stable and no serious case was reported, the police added.

According to the police, they began to receive calls around 6.10 am on Tuesday at the Jahangirpuri police station about multiple people starting to fall sick, allegedly after eating food prepared with kuttu atta (buckwheat flour).

"Teams were rushed to BJRM Hospital, where the chief medical officer informed that around 150 to 200 persons had reported to the emergency ward since morning, the police added.

Officials said the suspected food poisoning triggered anxiety in the locality, especially as large numbers of people were observing fasting on the occasion of Navratri.

The police immediately began sensitising shopkeepers, vendors and residents about the matter through beat staff and public address systems to prevent further panic.

The police said the matter has been communicated to the Food Department for further necessary action, including a quality check of ‘kuttu atta’ being sold in local markets.

"We are coordinating with the Food Department and local health officials.  People are being made aware at the community level to ensure public safety," the officer said.