The Kerala state government has decided to issue stricter guidelines for safe food consumption after a 16-year-old girl had died of food poisoning after eating Shawarma at a local eatery in the Kasaragod district. The girl named Devananda, who was a resident of Karivallor near Kasaragod, had died at the Kanhangad district hospital on Sunday while undergoing treatment for food poisoning. 

The Kerala government has on Monday, a day after the girl's demise, said that the guidelines will be issued to make the Levantine dish safer for consumption. In an official statement, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that the directions have been issued to the food safety commissioner to ensure neat and clean preparation of the dish for the customers. 

The minister said, "Many a time, the chicken used for making Shawarma may not be properly cooked. The fully mechanised machine should be used to make Shawarma so that the chicken will be properly cooked and is safe for consumption." She further said that the state government will provide free medical treatment for all those who were affected, at the government hospitals. 

It has been reported that a bunch of school students, and the deceased girl was among them, had eaten the rotten Shawarma at an eatery in Kasaragod. While Devananda had died at the hospital, about eighteen students are getting treated at the hospital. A case has been filed against the eatery. 

Two staff, including the manager of the eatery have been arrested and they are charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The eatery has been sealed and the police are also considering issuing a summon to the owner of the eatery, who lives in abroad.