India Free Lunch Deaths: Children Buried In And Around School

Nineteen of the 22 children who died after eating a tainted free school meal in India's Bihar state have been buried in and around the school grounds. Angry parents say they want the graves to serve as a reminder that the children died due to state negligence. A total of 47 primary school children fell ill after consuming the meal of rice and soybeans on Tuesday. A doctor at the local hospital said a chemical used in pesticides was the likely cause of contamination. Officials said the headmistress of the government school, in Dharmasati Gandaman in Saran district, had fled. The Mid-Day Meal Scheme provides free food for students, but often suffers poor hygiene. It was introduced to combat hunger and boost school attendance, and reaches 120 million children in 1.2 million schools across the country, according to the government.