Three children have died and twelve others have fallen ill at a shelter home in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, over the past two days, according to officials on Tuesday.

Karan (12), Akash (7), and Shubh (8), residents of Bal Ashram at Shri Yugpurush Dham in the Malharganj police station area, passed away on Monday and Tuesday respectively, said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar Sharma.

The exact cause of death will be determined once the post-mortem reports are available, officials noted. The shelter home houses more than 200 children, including orphans and those with mental ailments.

Twelve children from the facility were admitted to Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH) with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea, confirmed Dr. Ashok Yadav, the hospital’s superintendent. He mentioned that two children are critically ill due to dehydration, all under the age of 14.

Indore Collector Ashish Singh visited MYH to check on the children’s condition. Doctors preliminarily suspect food poisoning, prompting a team led by the additional district magistrate, including officials from the food department, to investigate the shelter home, Singh stated.

The 12-year-old boy who died had suffered brain seizures unrelated to suspected food poisoning, officials clarified. Following the outcry over the deaths, a joint administrative team reached Bal Ashram to initiate a thorough investigation.

Additional District Magistrate Rajendra Singh Raghuvanshi, heading the team, informed reporters that among the 204 children at the shelter home, three had died in the last 48 hours. A detailed probe is ongoing, and appropriate action will be taken if negligence is found.

Samples of food and ration from the ashram were collected by the food department for testing. Management of Shri Yugpurush Dham reported to the Child Welfare Committee claiming ten inmates had “blood infection,” though the administration has yet to verify this claim.

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