There have been new developments surrounding the issue of “veg-only” tables in the hostel mess on the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay after the institute’s administration allegedly imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on students who violated the arrangement.
In a mail sent to the students of IIT Bombay with the subject line “Regarding recent reports on the conflict in the mess of Hostel 12-13-14", the Dean’s office attempts to provide its version of the events that transpired, and the rationale behind the fine.
The mail begins by saying that the “decision of earmarking a few separate tables”, in hostels 12, 13, and 14, that is, six out of 129, was taken by the student councils of the hostels, and their decisions “represent the students at large”. Further, the mail also points to the fact that “unlike some other institutions, IIT Bombay does not have any separate vegetarian mess and does not plan to have one in the future.”
As for the fine imposed on the student, the email says that the student in question wrote to the office of the Dean, “expressing his objections to the decision made by the committee”, and warned to protest by consuming non-vegetarian food on the designated table for vegetarian food. Further, the mail also mentioned reports of “some students deliberately spilling over non-veg food to cause discomfort to fellow students”.
It was due to this “indiscipline” and “disruption of harmony”, that the student was fined, says the Dean.
Unfortunate spread of disinformation, say students
Responding to the mail, the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), an independent students’ collective in IIT Bombay, objected to the Dean “terming a peaceful protest by a few students as a conflict” in an official statement they posted on X (formerly Twitter).
APPSC also reminds the administration of actual conflicts where “students who took non-vegetarian food even by mistake to that specific area, were harassed, recorded and humiliated by groups of students”, and asks what was done to resolve them.
Further, the collective questions how the mess council, which imposed the fine on the student, can be termed an elected body, and that it acts under the supervision of the Associate Dean – while also imploring the Dean’s office to state IIT Bombay’s actual position on the matter of reserved “veg-only” tables.
It is also pointed out by APPSC that the protesting student has been engaged in discussions with the Dean's office since July. APPSC further says that “trying to portray his decision as taken in haste is again an unfortunate misinformation”, adding that such individual targeting affects his mental well-being.
Calling the accusation on the student of “deliberately spilling food” the “most unfortunate lie” in the mail, the collective says that nothing of that sort happened – with a few APPSC members, security guards, other students present there, as well as CCTV cameras, corroborating this fact.
APPSC reminds the dean that this controversy traces its origins back to July, when "Veg only" posters were allegedly "unauthorizedly" placed in the mess area. It asks whether the Dean’s office considers this act to cause “disharmony among students” or not.
Further, the APPSC calls for accountability from the mess council and wardens, inquiring about penalties for those responsible, and questioning the administration's silence on the matter.
“By bowing down to the pressure of casteist forces, the administration should not school courageous students about how to maintain peace and harmony when they have throughout shown their sincerity for maintaining harmony amongst the students, and surely this cannot come at the cost of contravening constitutional spirit,” APPSC says.
