Six family members critically ill after eating food cooked with acid in Bengal

Six members of a family, including two children, are in critical condition after accidentally consuming food cooked with acid in Ghatal, West Midnapore district, police said on Monday.

They are undergoing treatment at SSKM Hospital in Kolkata. Two of them are children. The incident took place in Ghatal of the West Midnapore district on Sunday.

The police said that Panchanan Mandal, the health officer of Ghatal Panchayat Samiti,



rushed to the spot on receiving the information.

Local police and administration officials also went to the area to investigate how this incident took place.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the incident happened after a meal was prepared using acid mistakenly assumed to be water. However, the police are also investigating whether it was a deliberate attempt to spike the food with acid in a bid to wipe out the entire family.