Students of Gandaman Primary School celebrate before their discharge from Patna Medical College and Hospital on Tuesday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Chhapra/Patna, Aug. 6: They are out of hospital at last, but too scared to return to Gandaman primary school.

The Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) today discharged 22 of the 24 children who fell ill after consuming poisonous midday meal at their school. Two children, Kajal (7) and Mantu (8), and cook Manju Devi, were not discharged as doctors are yet to declare them fit enough.

The discharged students are aware their classes have been shifted to a middle school, 300m from where 23 of their classmates died after consuming poisonous food on July 16. They feel the change in address would not make them change their minds about not going back to school.

Many parents want to earn more and send their wards to some private school.

“I won’t send my daughter to that school again. I will work hard to at least earn enough to send my kid to a private school. Her life is more important,” said Laldeo Mahto, father of six-year-old Preeti Kumari, a Class 1 student at the Gandaman school. His elder daughter Priya died in the tragedy.

Shambhu Mishra, whose eight-year-old daughter Khushi was discharged from hospital on Tuesday, echoed Mehto. “I live in Uttari tola (north hamlet) of Gandaman Dharmasati village, which has 35 settled families. We have only Gandaman primary school here. But I have decided not to send my daughter to that school again. If the state government opens another school in my hamlet, I would send here there. There is a government school some distance away. That can be an option.” Khushi, too, said she did not want to go back to the same school.

Neha (10), a Class 2 student of the school, said, “Madam toh jahar khila deli. Hum phir us school mein na jayenge (Madam made us eat poison. I wouldn’t go back to that school).”

While the children had mixed feelings, doctors and the PMCH administration were visibly elated. “The day these children came here they were writhing in pain but today they are all smiling. It feels great to see them smile,” said Nigam Prakash Narayan, a paediatric at PMCH.

Half an hour before their discharge, a farewell programme was organised for the children. S.R. Choudhary, head of the paediatrics at PMCH, congratulated her department.

PMCH gave the children new clothes. But the joy was short-lived. The children were very sad when they returned home. Their families had made no special arrangements to welcome them. “Many families have lost their children. How can we celebrate? But there is solace that these children returned safely,” said Anil Sah, a vegetable vendor whose children Anjali Kumari and Prince Kumar returned today. “We have only prepared bhaat (rice), dal (pulses) and chokha (mashed potato), as directed by doctors.”

The scene at Pano Devi’s house (a school cook who lost two of three children) was heart wrenching. “Pano Devi lives in a joint family. When five children returned from PMCH with her, all those at home began wailing loudly. Their return reopened old wounds,” Sah said. Everybody in the village has decided against sending kids back to the Gandaman school again, he said.

Education department principal secretary Amarjeet Sinha commended PMCH for its work in an hour of crisis.

Principal secretary, health, Vyasji said the state government had decided to make Gandaman Dharmasati a model village and develop its infrastructure.