[ad_1]
While the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay was dealing with accusations of caste discrimination due to certain students reserving a portion of the dining hall for vegetarians; students following meat-based diets at the IIT Hyderabad campus were also expressing concern about potentially being compelled to consume vegetarian meals in the upcoming semester if they couldn’t secure registration for non-vegetarian food at the canteens.
As per a report by The News Minute, IIT-Hyderabad received an email containing a survey for hostel residents. The survey aimed to gauge whether students were interested in registering for a dining hall exclusively serving vegetarian food.
The email included a link to a form and indicated that the survey was initiated at the request of the IIT-H Director and some students. The survey closed on the following day, and by July 27, another email was sent to students who had chosen the ‘pure vegetarian’ option, giving them a one-day window to complete their registration for it.
Also Read: Student protesting against IIT Bombay’s ‘veg-only’ table policy fined ₹10,000
During the initial week of August, students noticed that a designated vegetarian area had been established within the new mess dining hall, The News Minute reported.
Mint could not independently confirm the development.
The IIT-H campus features two canteens: one is the old canteen, and the other is a newer one.
“The old canteen does not have any such segregation. The vegetarian-only section is in the new canteen, where even faculty and other staff members come to eat now. It may also have something to do with the faculty members. They have set up a separate section entirely with utensils for vegetarians. The result of that survey was not made public,” said a student from IIT-H who did not wish to be identified.
An unnamed faculty member from the institution informed The News Minute that the introduction of the vegetarian section might have been influenced by the presence of other faculty members who utilize the same canteen. This unidentified IIT-H teacher mentioned that a significant portion of the faculty at the institute belongs to upper-caste groups.
Also Read: Has IIT-Bombay canteen turned ‘vegetarians only’? Here’s what RTI queries reveal
“Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channels 🚀 Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights!” Click here!
Following the creation of a vegetarian-only section, the IIT-H administration is currently considering the possibility of establishing a dedicated vegetarian dining hall in the upcoming semester. On September 12, they sent out another survey to gather feedback before proceeding with the selection of catering services for the“possibility of running a veg mess in one of the dining halls.”
In July of this year, posters bearing the message “Vegetarians only are allowed to sit here” were affixed to the walls of Hostel 12’s canteen at IIT Bombay. A photograph of these posters gained widespread attention on social media, sparking a protest among some students.
The Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), representing the students, condemned the incident and took action by tearing down the discriminatory posters. Their investigation through RTIs (Right to Information) and emails to the hostel’s general secretary, it was revealed that there is no official policy for food segregation at the institute.
“Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channels 🚀 Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights!” Click here!
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Updated: 06 Oct 2023, 06:29 AM IST
[ad_2]
Source link