Kozhikode food claim: teacher held as police dispute allegation

A Kozhikode food claim led to police action against a physical education teacher after he allegedly said worms were present in meals at the State School Sports Meet. Reports on Thursday, October 29, said Kunnamangalam police had taken Jijo James, from Ernakulam district, into custody.

Police said organisers inspected the food after the allegation and found the claim false. That assessment is attributed to police and organisers; the reports do not describe an independent finding by a court.

James allegedly made the claim in a Facebook post on Wednesday. A complaint from the meet’s convenor led police to register a case alleging provocation intended to cause a riot under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Minister calls for inquiry into disruption

Police described the offence as bailable. The Education Department also suspended the teacher, according to reports, while General Education Minister N. Samsudheen said departmental action would follow.

Responding to the Kozhikode food claim, Samsudheen alleged that more people might have been involved in an attempt to disrupt the event. He called for an inquiry but said the suspected activity should not automatically be treated as a political conspiracy.

The minister also condemned an alleged assault on journalists covering the incident. He said action would depend on an examination of the circumstances and maintained that nobody was entitled to attack media personnel.

The sports meet is taking place at the NIT Kozhikode ground for students from schools under the General Education Department. Samsudheen said competition was continuing smoothly and expressed confidence that it would finish on October 31 as planned.

Separately, he addressed complaints about competitors’ age eligibility. He said verification had been strengthened and medical checks conducted, with action promised against anyone found to have submitted false age records or helped produce them.

The police investigation into the teacher’s case is continuing, according to reports.

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