Controversy erupts at IIT-Bombay over 'vegetarians only' poster in hostel canteen

The issue of food discrimination arises at IIT-Bombay as "vegetarians only" posters in a hostel canteen spark controversy, leading to condemnation from student representatives.

Students at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) have raised concerns about food discrimination after "vegetarians only" posters were displayed on the walls of a canteen in one of the hostels. The incident, which occurred at hostel 12 of the prestigious institution, garnered attention after a photo of the posters went viral on social media, leading to condemnation from student representatives.

An official from the institute confirmed that they were aware of the posters, but the identity of the individuals responsible for putting them up remains unknown. Notably, there are no designated seats for individuals consuming different types of food at the institute, making it unclear who initiated the discriminatory signage.

The student collective, Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), expressed strong disapproval of the incident and took action by tearing down the offensive posters. Despite the absence of any official policy for food segregation at the institute, some students took it upon themselves to mark specific mess areas as "vegetarians only," forcing others to leave those spaces, which the AAPSC deemed unacceptable.

“Though RTIs and emails to the hostel's general secretary revealed that there is no policy for food segregation at the institute, some individuals have taken it upon themselves to designate certain mess areas as ‘vegetarians only' and force other students to leave that area,” the AAPSC said.

In response to the incident, the hostel's general secretary sent an email to all students addressing the matter. The email highlighted that while there is a counter for Jain food distribution in the hostels' mess, there is no designated sitting area for those who consume Jain food. Reports of certain individuals forcibly claiming specific areas as "Jain sitting space" and excluding students with non-vegetarian food were also acknowledged.

The general secretary firmly stated that such behavior is not acceptable, and no student has the right to remove others from any mess area based on their dietary preferences. He warned that strict action would be taken against those involved if any similar incidents occur in the future.

“Such behaviour is unacceptable and no student has the right to remove another student from any area of the mess on the grounds that it is reserved for a particular community. If any such incident is repeated, we will be forced to take strict action against those involved,” he stated in the email.