It is nothing new to have ‘veg only’ spaces. Several restaurants and cafes advertise themselves as such because people who are pure vegetarian or have certain kinds of dietary lifestyles want their food prepared in a particular way which those ‘veg only’ places provide.
However, a similar kind of space in an IIT Bombay hostel canteen led to some students carrying out a protest against it and eating non-vegetarian food on one of the tables that were designated as ‘veg-only’.
This led to the mess council putting a big fine on one of the three students and trying to find the other two who took part in the protest.
What Did IIT Bombay Say?
On September 28, a few students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay staged a symbolic protest during dinner time at the combined mess area for hostels, 12, 13 and 14.
These three hostels share a common mess and just a day before on 27th September had released a notice to its residents declaring that there would now be a dedicated ‘veg-only’ space at the mess.
According to an email, the mess council stated “Our primary goal is to ensure that every resident enjoys a very comfortable and pleasant dining experience. To address this and create a more inclusive environment, it has been decided to designate only six tables exclusively for vegetarian food.”
The notice also said that compliance with rules was important and any violation of it if identified by the mess council could result in action and implementation of appropriate penalties on the student(s) involved.
At an online meeting held on 1st October, the mess council for the three hostels met to discuss the protest and decided to impose a fine of Rs. 10,000 on one of the students whose identity they got to know for the act.
As per the minutes of the meeting, “This act was a premeditated attempt to disrupt the peace and harmony within the mess, in defiance of the advice provided by the Associate Dean SA (Students’ Affairs)…”
The mail sent on Wednesday also added that “Such violations will also be considered in disciplinary action, as they disrupt the harmony, we aim to maintain in our dining facilities” as per the news agency PTI.
The meeting stated how “The mess council resolved to enlist the support of student representatives from the Hostel 12, 13 and 14 councils to assist in identifying the other two individuals involved in the incident. Once their identities are established, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against them as well.”
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What Do The Students Say?
According to the students, the segregation of spaces being made official was “unnecessary when anyway there was a mutual understanding among students”.
One of the students protesting also reportedly said “We oppose this official segregation. In a way, the administration is dividing students in its so-called attempt to encourage inclusivity.”
Reports claim that the students were just doing a symbolic protest and one of the protest students added “We had to buy the food separately as the mess menu offers one non-vegetarian dish only on Fridays. On other days, it may be available but one has to buy it. This anyway reduces daily consumption of non-vegetarian food.
Additionally, there is more than two hours’ window to eat any meal so that there is no crowding and everyone gets a comfortable space to eat, based on food choices. We question the objective behind such official segregation of the eating space.”
They further said “This indicates that the decision was taken without consulting all students,” adding how the protest also had vegetarian students themselves joining it.
There has been some callout against the fine with people calling it “disgraceful”.
Anupam Guha, assistant professor at the Centre for Policy Studies at IIT Bombay commenting on the fine in a social media post on X (formerly Twitter) wrote “The fine on the student who protested this is disgraceful. Academics who care even a little bit about their institutions ought to resist this in speech and act. I certainly will.”
Along with this, the students’ wing of the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has also stated that they would not take it quietly if the fine against the student is not taken back.
Amol Matele a member of the NCP students’ wing as per reports said that “There is no such food-related rule in any educational institution in India. Yet IIT Bombay designated six tables from one mess for students eating vegetarian food. But imposing a hefty fine of Rs 10,000 on students who protested the decision is unjustified in a democratic country.”
He further added that the NCP could potentially stir up noise at the IIT Powai campus if the fine is not withdrawn. Professor Guha had initially also protested against separate spaces after the mess council of hostels 12, 13, and 14 had notified residents by email about the ‘veg-only’ places.
He posted that “Segregation of spaces based on food is irrational, ingrained in purity pollution practices which mine and other academic organizations do in the name of accommodating students should be illegal.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature Image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: The Indian Express, Business Today, Livemint
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: IIT-Bombay, IIT-Bombay news, IIT-Bombay fine, IIT-Bombay canteen, IIT-Bombay fine students, IIT-Bombay student, IIT-Bombay mess, IIT-Bombay imposes fine, IIT-Bombay veg only, IIT-Bombay rules, protest
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