Father dies, son critical in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur after consuming watermelon

A man lost his life and his son was left in critical condition following suspected food poisoning after consuming watermelon in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh, law enforcement authorities confirmed on Saturday.

The tragedy follows closely on the heels of a separate incident in Mumbai, where four family members recently died under mysterious circumstances hours after eating the same fruit.

The deceased has been identified as 43-year-old Indra Singh Parihar, an Agar Malwa native who operated a transport business and resided in Sheopur with his relatives. His two sons, Raja and Vinod, assisted him in running the commercial venture, according to Kotwali police station house officer Satyam Singh Gurjar.

According to Raja Parihar's account of the event, the family consumed pumpkin 'sabzi' for dinner on Thursday evening. At approximately 5 a.m. on Friday, Indra Singh and 21-year-old Vinod began experiencing severe physical discomfort. Seeking relief, they ate several slices of a watermelon stored in their home.

Shortly after eating the fruit, both men fell severely ill and were rushed to the local district hospital. Because of his rapidly deteriorating condition, medical staff referred Indra Singh to a specialized facility in Kota, but he tragically passed away mid-transit, the police official stated. Vinod Parihar remains under intensive medical care at the district hospital, where he has been placed on ventilator support. Investigators are currently awaiting the official post-mortem report for Indra Singh.

This incident marks the third such case in recent weeks. Last month in Mumbai, four relatives died after eating watermelon; a subsequent Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) analysis detected zinc phosphide—a chemical commonly used in rat poison—within their viscera and the remaining fruit samples.

Earlier this month, a 15-year-old boy, Akhilesh Dhivar, died and three other children—aged 4, 12, and 13—fell seriously ill after eating watermelon during a family gathering at their uncle's home in Ghurkot village, located in Chhattisgarh's Janjgir-Champa district.

Dr. S Kujur, civil surgeon at the Janjgir-Champa district hospital, said that the fruit had been sliced in the morning and left out for several hours before consumption, indicating a strong likelihood of bacterial contamination.

"As per preliminary information, the children consumed cut watermelon kept at the house on Sunday evening. A few hours later, Akhilesh started vomiting, had diarrhoea and breathing difficulties. Similar symptoms were later noticed in the other three children as well," said Dr Kujur.

"As their condition deteriorated, family members rushed them to the district hospital in ambulances at different times on Monday. However, Akhilesh was declared brought dead on arrival. The three other children were admitted to the emergency ward here," he added.

Odisha: Boy dies, 4 family members hospitalised in suspected food poisoning case

A 12-year-old boy died on Saturday morning while four of his family members were undergoing treatment with complaints of nausea and breathing difficulties after having curries and watermelon the night before in Odisha's Kendrapara district, police said.

The chief district medical officer (CDMO), Sachidananda Mishra, said the curries the family had for dinner might have been stale.

He said all five were admitted to the community health centre at Pattamundai on Saturday morning with complaints of vomiting, loose motion and breathing difficulties, which they claimed started after having food the previous night.