Canteens in schools and colleges have their rules and regulations which include the menu. Some canteens serve only vegetarian food, while some offer non-vegetarian, vegan or other food options. Recently, a hostel canteen in IIT Bombay displayed a poster stating that only vegetarians are allowed to sit! And this has raised a debate over the Internet.
IIT Bombay Canteen Displays A ‘Vegetarian Only’ Poster!
Even though RTIs and mails for hostel GSec shows that there is no institute policy for food segregation, some individuals have taken it upon themselves to designate certain mess areas as “Vegetarians Only” and forcing other students to leave that area.#casteism #Discrimination pic.twitter.com/uFlB4FnHqi
— APPSC IIT Bombay (@AppscIITb) July 29, 2023
After “vegetarians only” signs appeared in the canteen of one of the dorms, some students at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) brought up the issue of discrimination. The posters were hung on the hostel canteen’s walls last week, and tweets about them quickly gained popularity on social media.
A tweet by APPSC IIT Bombay states that there is no policy for food segregation as per the RTIs and mails for hostel GSec. However, some students decided to designate certain mess areas for ‘vegetarians only’. Moreover, they have been forcing students to leave the area!
Also Read: This Is India’s First Train To Serve Only Vegetarian Food
General Secretary’s Statement Regarding The Incident
Being vegetarian and casteism are indeed unrelated matters. It’s important not to conflate the two. Vegetarians can be found in every caste, and their dietary choice is personal and valid. One’s choice to be vegetarian doesn’t affect their ability to live with that decision.
— BRIJ MOHAN (@brijhcu) July 29, 2023
In response to this tweet, the hostel general secretary wrote an email to all university students. The email stated that there is a counter in the hostel kitchen where Jain food is distributed. But there isn’t a special place for people to sit down and eat Jain food.
The general secretary further confirmed that they have been receiving complaints of spots being forcibly designated as “Jain sitting spaces” and requests for people to refrain from eating non-vegetarian meals there.
The statement further stated that such behaviour is unacceptable. Also, no student has the right to remove another student and reserved an area for a particular community. And promised to take strict action against those involved in such activities.
Netizens have expressed their opinions on the matter stating that there is no connection between being vegetarian and casteism. One user wrote that dietary choice is personal. Another user stated that IITB mess halls are extremely discriminatory.
A user stated that food choices are considered to be an individual’s right. And others need to be considerate of people’s choices.
Also Read: Nagaland Minister Temjen Shares Pics of Veggies of Nagaland, Calls the Post “Only For Vegetarians”
Comment below and share your opinion on this IIT Bombay canteen incident.
Cover Image Courtesy: APPSC IIT Bombay/ Twitter & Canva (Rep Img)