Notices announcing separate entry/exit and handwash areas for vegetarians and non-vegetarians at a mess on the campus of IIT Madras were withdrawn on Friday evening following opposition from a section of students who labelled the move discriminatory.
Students posted photographs of the notices put up at the Himalaya hostel block, earmarking separate counters for vegetarian, vegetarian without garlic and onion (pure vegetarian) and non-vegetarian food on social media. The students had to use separate entry and exits and use separate wash basins and utensils.
Objecting to this, a section of students contended that it amounted to discrimination. “Upper caste households in India would usually have two entrances — one for the upper castes and the other for the ‘impure’ lower castes. A mess in IIT-M is now having the same system. This mess has two separate entrances — one for vegetarians and the other for non-vegetarians. Not just that — separate wash basins and separate utensils as well. What started as a demand for ‘pure’ vegetarian mess has become full-fledged untouchability,” a student posted on Facebook.
It is vacation time and only postgraduate and research scholars are occupying the hostels at present. A student said that the Himalaya complex (one of the hostels on the campus) has six mess halls. Students from different hostels dined in the mess where notices were put up to segregate students based on their food choices. More than 300 students were allotted to the mess.
‘To avoid mix-up’
However, Sriram K Kompella, students’ general secretary said, “It is not like people are not allowed to enter the vegetarian mess. Only that no non-vegetarian is allowed in it. Non-vegetarians can still register and enter the pure vegetarian mess.” He contended: “We believe and respect the lifestyle choices of vegetarians and are trying to ensure that there’s no mix-up either in the kitchen, wash area for utensils and the dining region.”
According to him, separate entry and exits help to keep track of who registered for which mess and ensure those who hadn’t registered for the mess did not dine there without paying the fees. The institute requires students to register every month afresh and they can change their food choices.
“We are not tracking who eats what or their caste. The segregation is purely on the basis of their food choice. There is no discrimination based on their choice of food either,” argued an official.
The notices were removed later in the evening. Secretary of hostel affairs Nihal K, issued an explanation stating that the posters had been found in the RRC mess, Himalaya. “The caterer has been instructed to remove the poster immediately upon its discovery by mess monitoring committee.”
Caterer’s act
It was the act of the caterer and there was no directive by the committee, the note read, adding that “in due course of time action will be taken on the caterer after an enquiry.” The note said two entrances were provided to the mess “to make the passage to each counter easier and not restrict passage from one to another or differentiate students in any capacity,” and apologised for the inconvenience.
The monitoring committee is a team of students that takes care of the issues in the mess and reports to the hostel affairs secretary. The final decision on matters will be taken in consultation with the Dean of Student Affairs and the Chairman of the council of wardens.
