The "discontinuation" of non-vegetarian food at Delhi University's Hansraj College and alleged attempts to "saffronising the campus" have prompted a group of students connected to the Students' Federation of India (SFI) to call for a protest. A protest against the "ban" on non-vegetarian food is expected to take place outside the Hansraj Hostel on January 20, Friday, according to a statement from the SFI's Hansraj College unit.
The students claimed that after Hansraj College reopened in February last year, following the pandemic, it stopped serving non-vegetarian food in both its canteen and hostel. However, there hasn't been any official order in this regard. The Hansraj management allegedly confiscated eggs from students who brought them to the dormitory, according to the SFI. The student group stated that a poll taken within the Hansraj hostel revealed that over 75% of students were not vegetarians as reported by PTI.
Hansraj Principal Rama Sharma had earlier claimed that 90 per cent of students of the college were vegetarians, the SFI added. "Majority of students of Hansraj are against this ban on non-vegetarian food and see this as an attempt to establish cultural hegemony. When these issues were raised on campus there was a violent response by the right-wing forces to suppress it. This response by the right-wing forces and the attitude of the administration towards this shows an attempt to saffronise the university spaces," the statement noted.
Alok Sharma, a third-year student who lived in the hostel, stated that the college abruptly stopped serving non-vegetarian food and said, "We were not informed about any such order. I don't think any order was issued. This is unfair. We are living away from our family and we need proper food," stated the report by PTI.
