Puri: More than 200 residents from five to six villages under Bangurigaan panchayat in Kakatpur block of Odisha’s Puri district have fallen ill in a suspected food poisoning outbreak after consuming ‘dahi bara’, the popular snack of lentil dumplings soaked in spiced yogurt, sold by a travelling street vendor.
The vendor had been moving through villages including Tentulia, Bangurigaan, Srichandrapur and Anandabazar, offering the snack. Within hours of eating it, people across the affected areas, including children, women and the elderly, complained of vomiting, severe diarrhoea, high fever and dizziness. As the symptoms worsened, Bangurigaon Community Health Centre (CHC) witnessed a massive influx of patients. Hospital corridors and treatment rooms quickly became overcrowded as healthcare personnel scrambled to administer emergency care to over 200 individuals, with dozens more continuing to arrive throughout the day showing similar symptoms.
Local residents and relatives of those affected expressed resentment, linking the illnesses directly to spoiled or contaminated yogurt used in the preparation. “Entire families, including small children, women and the elderly, have been affected,” said one local youth helping at the health centre.
Distressed family members and local youth aiding the victims expressed intense outrage over the situation, attributing the illness directly to spoiled or contaminated yogurt used by the vendor. They alleged that food-quality inspections by officials are largely limited to urban areas, leaving rural roadside stalls and small eateries in places like Kakatpur and Astaranga outside regular scrutiny, and urged stronger enforcement to ensure items are fresh and fit for consumption.
Meanwhile, an investigation is underway to trace the specific vendor and identify the exact source of contamination.
Notably, this incident comes about three months after 58 people fell ill after eating ‘dahi bara’ from a roadside stall in Jajpur district and 52 of them, including 25 children and 27 adults, were later shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital as their condition worsened.