The Hindu : Front Page : Seven die after consuming ‘susla’

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Tuesday, Nov 17, 2009
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Seven die after consuming ‘susla’

Special Correspondent

Pall of gloom hangs over Konkal village

Grief stricken: Relatives of the victims at Konkal village in Gulbarga district on Monday.

GULBARGA: The auspicious new moon day and the annual festival of the gram devata Maramma, on Monday, in Konkal village in Shahapur taluk of Gulbarga district turned out to be tragic for the village. Seven persons, including six of a family, died of food poisoning after eating a local delicacy, susla, made out of puffed rice. Four children of the same family are battling for their lives and have been shifted to the OPEC Apollo Hospital in Raichur district after initial treatment at the Government General Hospital at Yadgir. Cooperation Minister Lakshman S. Savadi and Animal Husbandry Minister Revu Naik Belamagi, who were attending a review meeting of the Karnataka Development Programme, adjourned the meeting and rushed to Konkal village.

The police gave the names of the dead as Basamma Sharanamma Kavali (70), Thippamma Basavarajappa (30), Thayamma Venkappa (35), her daughters Hiryamma (10) and Mariamma (8), and son Mariappa (6). The seventh victim was Marilinga Devendrappa (25), a neighbour of the family who had visited Basamma’s house and eaten the susla offered to him. The children admitted to hospital are Bhagya (1) and Amatappa (5), children of victim Thippamma Basavarajappa; and Eashappa (2) and Mahadevamma (4), children of victim Thayamma Venkappa. Reports received said that Basamma Kavali, who was the head of the family, had prepared the susla to feed the children, as no food would be prepared in the house until the rituals of pulling the temple car of the goddess were completed.

Heartrending scenes were witnessed when the Ministers visited the victims’ houses to pay their respects to the departed. Many village residents complained that the doctors at Yadgir hospital had not provided timely treatment to the victims. The police have seized the utensil used for preparing the susla, the remaining portions of susla and water used for cleaning the puffed rice. They have been sent for lab testing.

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