Worm-infested food kits for landslide survivors spark protest in Kerala

Survivors of the landslides in Chooralmala-Mundakai in Wayanad district alleged on Thursday that they were given worm-infested food kits by the Meppadi Gram Panchayat, leading to a violent protest by the DYFI on Thursday.

The Meppadi Panchayat is governed by the Congress-led UDF.

The protest began with activists displaying the allegedly contaminated food items and staging a sit-in.

Tensions escalated around 11:30 am when DYFI workers attempted to force their way into the office of the panchayat president.

However, they were blocked by police officers and panchayat members, leading to clashes.

According to panchayat authorities, five people were injured, including the panchayat president, K. Babu, and four members, who have been admitted to a hospital.

Earlier, there were complaints that the food kits distributed by the Meppadi Grama Panchayat to landslide victims contained worm-infested rice, rava, and atta.

Subsequently, on Thursday, DYFI activists staged a sit-in protest, placing the contaminated rice in front of the panchayat office to highlight the issue.

The DYFI workers alleged that they were manhandled by members of the local body governed by the Congress-led UDF. However, UDF members claimed that the protesters attempted to force their way into the panchayat president's office and made casteist remarks against him.

Meanwhile, panchayat authorities stated that they only supplied the food kits donated by the Revenue Department and other charitable organisations.

"We have been supplying the food kits for the past three months without any issues. The alleged kits were supplied by the District Collectorate, and the complaint was made on October 29. We suspect there is a mystery behind this incident, which came to light during the by-poll," said a panchayat member.

According to him, the protesters forced their way into the office while the president was holding a meeting to examine the matter.

The protests are still continuing in front of the office.

The disaster, which struck on July 30, devastated large parts of three villages --Punchirimattam, Chooralmala, and Mundakkai--along with sections of Attamala in Wayanad.

As per the government, the deadly disaster claimed 231 lives, while 47 people are still missing.