Kerala govt orders probe after management conducts midnight ‘homam’ at school

Kozhikode (Kerala), Feb 14 (PTI) A government-aided lower primary school here witnessed dramatic scenes in this north Kerala district on Monday night as its management performed a puja inside the classroom and local residents said to be activists of the ruling CPI(M) disrupted it.

The incident took place at Nedumannur Lower Primary School near Kuttiyadi here, police said.

As the issue triggered a controversy, General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Tuesday asked the Director of Public Instructions to submit an immediate report into the incident of conducting a puja inside the government-aided school.

Visuals of the puja being conducted and the protest against it has gone viral on social media platforms and were released by local television channels on Tuesday morning.

In the videos, a 'homam', a religious ritual, is seen being performed by a priest. Some persons are seen surrounding the priest as the ritual progresses, while others are seen protesting, raising slogans.

Local people said they came to know about a puja being held there after finding vehicles on the school premises at night.

A senior police officer said that the homam was held by the school management. "Based on information we received, we rushed to the spot and took some persons into custody. They were released later. No case has been registered so far," he said.

Activists of the SFI and DYFI, the student and youth outfits of the ruling CPI(M), held protest marches on Tuesday to the school, seeking action against its management. PTI