Recent decisions at IIT-Bombay to designate separate dining tables for vegetarian students within a campus mess hall and to impose a fine on a student who protested against this policy have provoked strong reactions from some faculty members at the institution.
Anupam Guha, an assistant professor affiliated with the Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies at IIT-Bombay, expressed his dismay at the fine levied on the protesting student and urged academics who care about their institutions to speak out and take action. He posted on ‘X,’ stating, “The fine on the student who protested this (referring to the segregation of dining spaces based on food) is disgraceful. Academics who care even a little bit about their institutions ought to resist this in speech and act. I certainly will.”
The fine, amounting to Rs 10,000, was imposed by the mess council of hostels 12, 13, and 14, consisting of four professors and three student representatives.
Suryakant Waghmore, a professor in the department of humanities and social sciences, also voiced his concerns on social media. He stated, “Bhartiya vegetarianism of purity and segregation is a social illness… it needs to be cured, not institutionalized.”
In an earlier column published in a news portal, Waghmore had explored the concept of purity associated with vegetarian food, linking it to the caste system’s influence on food preferences in India.
Guha had previously criticized the decision in a separate post on September 28, emphasizing that segregating dining spaces based on food choices is irrational and rooted in purity-pollution practices that are inherently casteist. He argued that endorsing such segregation, even under the guise of accommodating students, should be considered illegal.
The controversy emerged during a meeting of the mess council, where members discussed the imposition of a steep fine on a student from hostel 12. This student had protested against the designation of six tables in the common mess area of hostels 12, 13, and 14 for vegetarian food consumption exclusively. On September 28, the student, accompanied by a few others, expressed their objection by consuming non-vegetarian meals at the segregated tables. In a show of solidarity with the vegetarian students, several others also joined them in choosing non-vegetarian fare.
The mess council cited “unruly behavior” and “violations of mess norms” as the reasons for imposing the fine. Additionally, they resolved to initiate disciplinary proceedings against two other students once their identities are confirmed. They have sought assistance from fellow students in identifying these individuals. The protest occurred one day after the mess council introduced the new dining regulations, which included provisions for segregating eating areas and warned of disciplinary action for rule violations.
