The Indian Institute of Technology in West Bengal’s Kharagpur on Wednesday said that an email on separate seating arrangements for vegetarians and non-vegetarians in a dining hall on campus was not backed by any official directive, The Indian Express reported.
IIT Director Suman Chakraborty said that the institution has never issued such an order. He claimed that such segregation of sitting arrangements has never been institutionalised, and it goes against the institutional policy of equality.
His remarks, however, come nearly a month after a directive was allegedly circulated among residents of the BR Ambedkar Hall of Residence at the campus on August 16, instructing residents to follow designated seating arrangements for vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals, The Telegraph reported.
The directive was reportedly issued by Nilanjan Paul, general secretary (mess) of the hall, and circulated among its 1,300 residents. It claimed that there had been increasing complaints “about boarders occupying vegetarian tables while eating eggs, fish, or chicken”, The Indian Express reported.
“This goes against the mess seating rules and shows a lack of respect for others’ food preferences, affecting a harmonious environment,” the newspaper quoted Paul as saying in the directive. “All boarders are instructed to strictly follow the seating rules.”
Former students and faculty, however, said that the email promoted divisions. The directive was overturned by the Hall Management Centre, which supervises hostel policies, according to The Telegraph.
On Sunday, the institute issued another order, stating that there must not be segregation based on food preferences for seating in the dining hall. Any segregation must be carried out only at the levels of preparation and distribution, it said.
On Wednesday, Chakraborty told The Indian Express that if a few persons had made certain localised arrangements in some pockets, it was by their own preference.
“…the institute has not provided any directive for that,” the newspaper quoted the director as saying. “Rather, we clarify that there is no such directive and people are encouraged to have their food together at the same place.”
The IITs have previously sparked controversy over attempts to segregate students based on their food preferences.
In 2018, IIT Madras faced criticism after it designated separate entrances and wash basins for vegetarian and non-vegetarian students in a mess on campus. Critics had claimed that the measures amounted to “untouchability” at the institute.
The measures were withdrawn following the backlash.
In 2023, IIT Bombay faced a controversy after some areas in a mess were unofficially earmarked for vegetarians.
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