At least 120 children at a government-run school in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district have fallen ill because of food poisoning, the police told PTI on Friday. District Magistrate Shobhendra Kumar Choudhary has asked the school to remain close for the next three days.

The incident took place on Thursday when the students at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Barahaiya complained of nausea and stomach ache after eating dinner at the school hostel, said Superintendent of Police Kartikeya Sharma.

“The students were served rice and paneer curry for dinner,” said Sharma. “Soon after taking their food, they started feeling uneasy and sick. Of the 120 affected students, 70 were taken to Barahaiya-based referral hospital.” Twenty students were later admitted to Sadar hospital as a “precautionary measure”, he added.

Parents alleged that the food served at the school was of poor quality, reported IANS. The district magistrate assured them of an inquiry into the incident.