‘Veg only’ poster triggers row in IIT-Bombay

MUMBAI: Posters stating “vegetarians only are allowed to sit here” were put up on the walls of a hostel canteen at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) has raised the issue of food discrimination at the prestigious institution.

Representatives of the student collective Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC) condemned the incident and tore the posters. “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,” it said.

In an email to students, the hostel’s general secretary said, “There is a counter for Jain distribution in the hostel’s mess, but there is no designated sitting space for those who consume Jain food.”

Noting reports of individuals who bring non-vegetarian food not being allowed to sit in those areas, the general secretary wrote: “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.”