Dead snake found in ‘dalma’

Kendrapara: A dead snake was allegedly found in the 'prasad' served at a religious congregation in Kendrapara district, following which panic gripped the area, officials said on Thursday. The incident happened in Nuagaon in Ward 10 of Pattamundai Municipality on Wednesday night, they said. Around 1,000 devotees had attended the congregation, and at the end of it, 'dalma' -- a curry prepared with vegetables and pulses -- was served as ‘prasad.’ While serving the food, organisers found a dead snake in it, triggering panic. However, by that time, around 700 people had already eaten it.

As the news of the dead snake being found in the 'prasad' spread, people who had already eaten it rushed to the Pattamundai Sub-Divisional Hospital, officials said. "We checked everyone but did not find any symptoms of food poisoning. We advised them not to panic," said the hospital's medical officer, Nirakar Parida.

"As a precautionary measure, a medical team was sent to the area on Thursday morning to ascertain if anyone fell sick. However, none who ate the food was found suffering from illness," he said.