19 students fall seriously ill at UP school: Was it a gas leak or pepper spray? Cops to probe

All the students are said to be stable and due for discharge from the hospital, officials said.

The police, which immediately launched a probe, initially said the incident was caused by gas leak from the chemistry lab of the school. Later, while not ruling out gas leak, the police said that they suspect that the incident could have been triggered by pepper spray.

“Initially, we suspected gas leakage from an experiment gone wrong at the chemistry laboratory of the school to be the cause of students falling ill. But no trace of any leakage of gas has been found so far. An empty pepper spray was found near the boys’ washroom. Since most of the students near the washroom had reported uneasiness, we are looking into it,” said a police officer involved in the probe.

Hardoi District Magistrate Anunaya Jha said, “We received information around 10 am that students at a private school in Sandila are complaining of violent cough and uneasiness because of some gas leak on the premises. Local authorities immediately rushed to the spot, and 19 students were admitted to the hospital. All are stable now. Inspection of the school is being conducted by the officials of the district administration and police, and necessary action will be taken accordingly.”

A probe had been ordered and assured strict action once the cause of the leak is confirmed, the DM said, who reached the schools along with Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Meena.

SDM Hardoi, Narayani Bhatia, confirmed that the students who fell sick were girls.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the incident and directed officials to ensure proper treatment of the children and carry out a thorough investigation, officials said.