The administration of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT B) claims to have fined students who protested the separation of tables for vegetarian cuisine at the hostel’s restaurant by 10,000 rupees.
“@iitbombay has imposed a fine of ₹ 10,000 on the students who had stood against the food segregation policy of the institute by a peaceful act of individual civil disobedience. This action of the admin is similar to a Khap Panchayat (caste council) acting to uphold untouchability in modern times,” the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle, a Left-leaning students body of the institute, said in a post on X on late Monday night.
When contacted for a comment on the students’ body’s claim, the IIT B administration did not respond.
Following an argument over segregation of vegetarian students’ tables in one of the IIT B canteens last week, the Mess Council formally announced that six tables in the common canteen of the three hostels would be reserved for vegetarians.
It had stated that compliance is essential and that any violations found by the mess team (council) will result in proper action and the enforcement of penalties.
“Such violations will also be considered in disciplinary action as they disrupt the harmony we aim to maintain in our dining facilities,” according to an email sent to the students of hostels 12, 13 and 14 by the Mess Council last week.
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Source: NDTV
