One of the country’s prominent engineering institutes, IIT-Roorkee, is caught in a controversy as a section of students have raised objections to the recent addition of non-vegetarian food to their menu. The protesting students are from the Azad Bhawan hostel, the only one in the institute which served vegetarian meals until August 21.  Students also claim that the management was trying to impose its ‘food plan’ without taking necessary steps to tackle their concerns.

The mess has now started to serve non-vegetarian meals twice a week - on Wednesdays and Sundays. Students have alleged that “raw chicken flesh was kept and cooked in the open under unhygienic conditions,” reported a leading news daily. They also stated that no adequate bifurcation was made in the sitting space, for vegetarian and non-vegetarian students.

Writing to the dean of student welfare professor MK Barua, they have demanded that non-veg food should not be served in the hostel. They have urged the management to set up a separate mess for it. In addition, the protesting students have threatened to not have meals in the hostel on the days when non-veg food is served till their demands are met.

“The mess management was ill-prepared to ensure hygiene in the dining hall and kitchen. Dressed raw chicken was kept and cooked in open, close to vegetarian food kitchen. Besides this, lack of proper preparation space, no separate drinking water utensils and sitting arrangements are also big issues,” stated a PhD student and protestor from Uttar Pradesh.

On the other hand, the non-vegetarian students have termed the protest “unwanted.” The mess was previously serving eggs, and chicken is the only new addition to the menu. The students are visibly happy as the interest of hostel inmates, who are coming from different parts of the country, is being taken into consideration. Notably, the number of students who eat meat in the hostel is much more than the protesting students.