Teacher Suspended After Arrest for Sambar Worm Incident at Kerala Sports Meet
A teacher's arrest for allegedly disrupting a sports meet by claiming to find a worm in food has led to his suspension.
Jijo James, a teacher, was arrested for displaying a worm found in food at a sports event.
The Education Department suspended him pending investigation after the incident caused unrest.
State officials suspect the incident was staged for political motives, with investigations underway.
In a troubling incident at the ongoing state school sports meet in Kozhikode, a teacher named Jijo James was arrested for allegedly attempting to disrupt the event by claiming to have discovered a worm in the sambar served to attendees. Following his arrest by Kunnamangalam police on Wednesday, the Education Department swiftly suspended him, pending further investigation into the matter.
The incident unfolded on Wednesday afternoon at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) grounds, where the sports meet is being held. James reportedly shared a video on social media showcasing the alleged worm, which incited a significant disturbance in the dining hall, causing tension among the participants and attendees. The police have since registered two separate cases against him under Sections 170 and 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the First Information Report (FIR), James is accused of intentionally inciting unrest by displaying the worm and falsely asserting it was found in the sambar. The second case pertains to preventive measures taken by law enforcement due to fears of public disorder. Education Minister N Samsudheen has suggested that this incident may have been orchestrated for political reasons, raising questions about the involvement of media representatives who appeared at the scene almost immediately after the commotion began.
Pazhayidom Mohanan Namboothiri, responsible for food preparation at the meet, has also spoken out against the allegations, asserting that James had previously complained about worms in other dishes. He emphasized the improbability of finding a live worm in the large quantities of sambar prepared, which undergoes extensive cooking. Namboothiri expressed concern over the damage to his reputation, built over four decades, due to the circulation of misleading images.
The state school sports meet commenced on October 25 and is scheduled to conclude on October 31. As investigations continue, authorities are looking into the broader implications of this incident on the event's integrity and the potential motivations behind the disruption.
