A 15-year-old boy died and three other children fell ill in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district after allegedly consuming watermelon
May 12, 2026: A tragic incident has been reported from Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district, where a 15-year-old boy died and three other children fell ill after allegedly consuming watermelon at a relative’s house. The children had visited Ghurkot village after attending a wedding. The deceased was identified as Akhilesh Dhivar, while the other affected children were admitted to hospital for treatment after developing similar symptoms.
According to district hospital civil surgeon Dr S Kujur, the children consumed cut watermelon on Sunday evening and started showing symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea and breathing difficulties within a few hours. Akhilesh was declared dead on arrival at the hospital, while the remaining children continue to receive treatment. Officials suspect food poisoning caused by contaminated watermelon, especially since the fruit had reportedly been cut in the morning and consumed several hours later.
The incident comes weeks after a similar tragedy in Mumbai’s Pydhonie area, where four members of a family died after eating watermelon. In that case, forensic reports reportedly detected zinc phosphide, a toxic rat poison, in viscera samples of the victims. Authorities in Chhattisgarh have now sent watermelon samples for laboratory testing, while viscera samples from the deceased teenager have also been preserved for forensic examination to determine the exact cause of death.