Those affected were put on saline support and rushed to nearby hospitals. Those affected were put on saline support and rushed to nearby hospitals.

About 2,000 members from Dawoodi Bohra community suffered serious bout of food poisoning after consuming dinner served at a local community hall in Indore on Sunday night.

According to Juni Indore Police station, the incident occurred on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday when close to 5,600 Bohras were observing the month of Ramazan at a local community hall in Saify Colony.

A senior citizen succumbed to cardiac arrest at Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital, Monday morning, the night after attending the dinner.

The deceased, Haider Ali (65), was also a patient of renal cancer and suffered stomach pain on Sunday night after he accompanied his family to the community hall. While his family has alleged he did not eat the sweet suspected to have caused food poisoning, doctors at the hospital have requested a post mortem for confirming the final cause of death.

“The patient was admitted in ICU and had a history of chronic illness. When other patients were being brought to the hospital and he felt uneasiness, his family also brought him along,” said hospital superintendent Dr VS Pal.

The food samples, mainly suspected to be raw material mawa, sweet called ‘khopra paak’, and other ingredients used to prepare the sweet along with Bohra dish halim, mutton, rice and daal were collected by food inspectors and sent for laboratory analysis at Food and Drug Administration in Bhopal. “We are now investigating how the stale food was procured and used. Till now, no case against the caterer has been registered but we suspect the mawa used to make the sweet was stale,” said Thane Inspector Pawan Singhal.

Watch Video: What’s making news

According to community members, the meal was consumed after iftaari, when Muslims break their fast. For the community, Sunday was the 30th night of Ramazan when they gather in mosques to pray throughout the night. On July 5, the Bohras observe Eid celebrations.

The dinner, served in community hall, was being prepared every night since Ramazan began. According to patients, they consumed the meal at 9.30 pm on Sunday. Authorities also distributed the food amongst poor people.

Those affected were rushed to several hospitals in the city, including Choithram, Maharaja Yashwantrao, Apple, Pulse, Anand hospital and Malik Nursing Home.

“Almost all members in my family ate the mithai and suffered vomiting and lose motions,” said Husain Koser, 25. Koser experienced dehydration and severe lose motions few hours after eating the sweet. His nephew, three-year-old Shabbir Theliwala, is currently admitted in Apple Hospital. “He is under observation but stable. He experienced severe vomiting,” added Koser.

Another community member, Ali Husain, made a lucky escape. “I ate a little portion of the sweet. Everyone started rushing to the mosque few hours after they ate the meal once they experienced uneasiness,” he said.

According to eye witnesses, the mosque and community hall was filled with affected patients who started vomiting before being rushed to nearby hospitals. The mosque premises had to be washed thoroughly, said authorities.

According to local police, all close hospitals near the Saify Colony mosque have been occupied following the food poisoning incident. “Those affected are mostly women, senior citizens and children,” added Singhal.

Septuagenarian Shirin Dewaswala was admitted in Choithram Hospital and required saline support throughout the night to control lose motions and vomiting. According to her grandson Huzefa, her condition stabilized by Monday morning.

According to police, the mosque has contracted a permanent caterer who has been preparing meals throughout Ramazan. The mawa suspected to be spurious was prepared by the same caterer by reportedly using Amul milk.

In 2014, a similar food poisoning episode was reported from New Saify Colony, adjoining the Saify Colony, where Bohras had suffered from vomiting after consuming spurious sweet in the community hall.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd