‘Veg-only’ tables: IIT-B professors say fines on students ‘disgraceful’, segregation ‘social illness’

Another professor has called the segregation “social illness”.

Meanwhile, students’ wing of Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Sharad Pawar group has warned of an agitation against the authorities if the fine is not withdrawn. Assistant professor at Centre for Policy Studies at the IIT Bombay Anupam Guha tweeted on X, “The fine on student who protested is disgraceful. Academics who care even a little bit about their institutions ought to resist this in speech and act. I certainly will.”

Suryakant Waghmore, Professor of Sociology at IIT Bombay, tweeted, “Bhartiya vegetarianism of purity and segregation is a social illness.. it needs to be cured, not institutionalized!”

Professor Guha took to X last week also after the mess council of hostels 12, 13 and 14 sent an email informing all its residents about the designated ‘veg-only’ space of six tables in their combined mess. “Segregation of spaces based on food is irrational, ingrained in purity pollution practices which mine and other academic organizations do in the name of accommodating students should be illegal,” read the tweet.
https://twitter.com/Anupam_Guha/status/1709206349610152083
While the mess council email had already sparked controversy, a few students on September 28 protested the decision by eating non-vegetarian food on one of the six tables from the designated ‘veg-only’ space.

On Monday, the mess council imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on one of the protesting students whose identity was established and enlisted support from student representatives from the three hostels in identifying the other two involved in the incident.

Amol Matele of the NCP students’ wing said, “There is no such food-related rule in any educational institution in India. Yet IIT Bombay designated six tables from one mess for students eating vegetarian food. But imposing a hefty fine of Rs 10,000 on students who protested the decision is unjustified in a democratic country.”