Children at SKMCH in Muzaffarpur on Friday. Picture by Gopi Raman

Muzaffarpur, Aug. 3: A youth was brought in for questioning today for allegedly contaminating water at a residential school in Sitamarhi district.

Bikao Mandal (30) of Thahar village under Runnisaidpur block was apprehended early today. District magistrate Pratima S. Verma said Mandal is suspected of pouring some substance into the hand pump on the premises of Kasturba Gandhi Residential Middle School in Thahar village, around 40km northwest of Muzaffarpur, on Thursday night.

Sixty-eight girl students fell ill after drinking the water yesterday.

Verma told The Telegraph: “Senior police officers are interrogating Mandal to know his motive. A schoolteacher, Swati, and a few girl students had spotted him while he was pouring the substance.”

Forty-three of the 68 girls were admitted to Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH). The rest were treated at Runnisaidpur primary health centre. SKMCH deputy superintendent Dr Sunil Shahi said: “The students were admitted after they complained of stomach pain and vomiting on drinking from the hand pump. The attending team of doctors led by head of department, paediatrics, Braj Mohan, examined them before releasing them.” Dr Bindeshwar Sharma at the Runnisaidpur primary health centre said 25 students admitted there were discharged in the morning.

Hand pump samples were collected and sent to the state forensic science laboratory in Patna. Today, blood and urine samples of the 43 students treated at SKMCH were collected for forensic analysis. The children also underwent gastric lavage, a process by which contents of the stomach are cleaned.