At least fifty people including women and children fell sick after having Panta-Ilish at a Bangla New Year celebration programme organised by the Kachua Upazila Parishad in Bagerhat yesterday.

Of them, 24 people are undergoing treatment at Kachua Upazila Health Complex in Kachua upazila.

The Bangla New Year celebration programme was arranged at the Ladies Club on the upazila parishad premises yesterday morning.

After a colorful rally, the participants of the rally ate watered rice along with Iilsa fry, mashed potato and brinjal fry, said Kachua Upazila Nirbahi Officer Kazi Mahabubur Rashid.

However, in the evening, many of the people who took food in the programme, fell sick from the evening.

They complained of stomach-ache after eating the food, added the UNO.

The UNO said the food items were served by a restaurant of the upazila.

A three-member probe committee was formed to investigate the incident.