Another death following consumption of watermelon has made it to the headlines, this time from Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district, raising fears and inhibition regarding the possible presence of harmful chemicals or poisonous substances in the fruit. A 43-year-old man died, while his son is said to be critical, after the duo fell ill following the consumption of watermelon in Sheopur, officials reported on Friday.
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The man who died has been identified as Indra Kumar Parihar, a native of Shahjapur district. He worked as a driver and resided at a rented accommodation in Sheopur with his family. According to his family members, he and his son Vinod (21) began feeling unwell on Thursday night. On Friday morning, they ate watermelon at their home, following which they experienced a sudden deterioration in their health.
Father dies on way to Kota
Witnessing a rapid decline in their health, their kin rushed them to the Sheopur district hospital for emergency treatment. The doctors attending to them later referred Indra Kumar to Kota, given the severity of his condition. However, he died while being transported to the city for advanced medical care. Sources said Vinod is in a critical state and is receiving treatment. Indra is survived by his wife Sangeeta, sons Vinod, Raja and Deva, and another family member named Radhika.
Doctors yet to ascertain cause behind death
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Officials aware of the case have cautioned people, pleading with them to refrain from drawing conclusions. They said a probe into the incident is underway. When the district hospital surgeon, Dr RB Goyal was reached out to, he said both patients had been admitted to the hospital in a serious condition on Friday morning, adding that authorities have still not provided any clue on whether watermelon consumption directly caused the death.
As per doctors, the symptoms may also point towards a severe stomach infection or another underlying medical condition. Dr Goyal said, “Medical examinations are underway, and the exact cause will be known only after the reports arrive.”
Food safety under question again
Officials maintained that no definitive conclusion can be reached until the arrival of the postmortem report and the laboratory findings. Post-incident, the local administration, along with the health department, has launched a probe to determine whether contaminated food, chemical exposure or another medical factor was responsible for the sudden deterioration in the health of the victims.
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Authorities will likely examine the source of the watermelon consumed by the family as part of the inquiry.