‘Worms in food’ allegation at Kerala sports meet: PE teacher suspended

Keralam General Education Minister N. Samsudheen Photo Credit: RK Nithin

The Kerala Education Department on Thursday (October 29, 2026) suspended a physical education teacher from Ernakulam district after he was accused of making a video alleging that worms were found in food served to participants in a state school sports meet held in Kozhikode.

According to sources, Jijo James, a teacher at Shalom Vocational High School in Vengola, Ernakulam, has been taken into custody by the Kunnamangalam police.

Mr James was reportedly found filming a video in the food preparation area on Wednesday. The organizers objected to this. The police arrived at the scene and took him into custody “to avoid further trouble”. The convener of the food committee later filed a complaint against him.

Meanwhile, N. Samsudheen, Minister for General Education, told the media that “some people are deliberately trying to de-gloss” the sporting event. He said it could be considered an offense against the students involved and that an investigation would be launched into the alleged conspiracy behind the incident.

A section of the media reported earlier in the week that worms were found in the ‘sambar’ served to students.

Published – 29 Oct 2026 10:24 IST