At least 15 students of Mahanagar-2-based Budhanilkantha Boarding School have taken ill apparently after drinking juice manufactured by an Indian company in Biratnagar on Friday.

Doctors involved in the treatment said that the students who consumed juice showed symptoms of headache, vomiting, diarrhoea and burning sensation in the stomach.

Among the sick students, Ansu Sah, Krishranjan Karna, Angel Sah, Alisha Sah and Roshan Das are undergoing treatment at the Birat Hospital while others have already returned home after primary treatment.

The market representative of juice manufacture company ‘Nestle’ had organised futsal for the students from class three to seven. The students consumed the juice during the same programme.

According to school Principal Maniraj Bhattarai, more than 100 students had consumed the juice. The programme was stopped after some students started vomiting near the programme venue.

Dr Hem Sagar Rimal, who was involved in the treatment, said that when the students reached the hospital, they had already started showing the symptoms of vomiting, diarrhoea, headache and stomach pain. They were given medicine to stop vomiting and also of gastritis.

“All are showing the same symptoms,” he said, adding, “This could be food poisoning.”

Following the incident, police have arrested company market representative Pradeep Ghimire of Kankai Municipality-2, Jhapa and Mahendra Kumar Agrawal of Mahanagar-9 with 40 cartons of juice kept in a rickshaw (Ko 1 Sa 356) today.

DSP Ghanshyam Shrestha of the District Police Office, Morang, said that the duo along with the confiscated juice has been send to the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) for the quality check.

Teachers had also consumed the juice by stalling the programme after some students started vomiting by drinking the juice, school principal Bhattarai said. But the juice did have impact on teachers.

“We gave permission after the popular company like Nestle showed eagerness to hold the programme in the school,” he said, adding, “We had never thought that the students will fall sick after drinking the juice of that company.”

Company market representatives claimed that students were provided with the juice that has flavour of milk, coffee and chocolate. As the juice was energy drink, students might have taken ill after they consumed the juice in empty stomach, they said.