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“Our primary goal is to ensure that every resident enjoys a very comfortable and pleasant dining experience. To address this and create a more inclusive environment, it has been decided to designate only six tables exclusively for vegetarian food," the email said.
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APPSC has rejected the claims of “deliberate spilling over of non-veg food” by the protesting students, reported Indian Express.
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However, an IIT-Bombay student confirmed off the record that 10,000 fine was imposed by authority on the student who was protesting on veg and non-veg food segregation.
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I just talked to a student who sits at these tables. He is from a backward caste from UP pursuing research in Science.He said the ‘protest’ is entirely run by Humanities and Social Sciences department
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The Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), representing the students, condemned the incident and took action by tearing down the discriminatory posters. Their investigation through RTIs (Right to Information) and emails to the hostel's general secretary, it was revealed that there is no official policy for food segregation at the institute.
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"The fine on the student who protested is disgraceful. Academics who care even a little bit about their institutions ought to resist this in speech and act.I certainly will," Anupam Guha, assistant professor from the Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies at the institute, posted on X. A Rs 10,000 fine was imposed on the student.
Suryakant Waghmore, professor of the institute's department of humanities and social sciences, also posted on social media on Wednesday. "Bhartiya vegetarianism of purity and segregation is a social illness... it needs to be cured, not institutionalised," he wrote.
In a column in a news portal earlier, Waghmore had written: "The idea of purity attached with vegetarian food tells us about the ideology of caste and its influence on food preferences in India."
Guha had criticised the decision earlier on September 28 in another post. "Segregation of spaces based on food is irrational, ingrained in purity-pollution practices which are casteist."
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First, vegetarianism is not exclusively a matter of caste. While many Brahmin communities observe vegetarianism, it is most pervasive among the Jains, who are a religious minority. Also, millions of Brahmins — especially from eastern and northeastern India, Maharashtra and Kashmir — are non-vegetarians.
Conversely, there are many Muslims, Dalits and other backward-caste Indians who are vegetarians. A 2021 Pew research says four in 10 Indians consider themselves vegetarian. That makes India’s a roughly 40 per cent vegetarian population.
Now, what percentage of the population are Brahmins? Just about 4 percent. Add 0.4 per cent Jains to that. That makes it less than 5 per cent. What about the rest 35 percent who are vegetarians? So, how can vegetarianism be an upper-caste preserve?
Second, vegetarianism is a massively popular and growing lifestyle choice worldwide. A survey conducted by Kansas State researcher Glynn Tonsor has consistently found 10 to 15 per cent of Americans identifying as vegetarian or vegan since 2020. The worldwide vegan food market grew from $14.44 billion in 2020 to $15.77 billion in 2021. One has to respect their food choice and be accommodative if they want to eat away from the smell and feel of non-vegetarian food.
And third, will the protestors force Muslim students to eat from utensils in which pork is cooked? They won’t. So, why pick on the vulnerable and peaceful? Having a few separate tables or utensils is respect for diversity, not apartheid or segregation.
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/now-teachers-join-row-over-iit-bombays-veg-tables-policy/articleshow/104168670.cms?from=mdr
https://www.livemint.com/news/india/student-protesting-against-iit-bombays-veg-only-table-policy-fined-rs-10000-11696319149561.html
https://twitter.com/swati_gs/status/1709976153400934604
https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/10/06/amid-iit-bombay-issue-iit-hyderabad-plans-pure-veg-dining-hall
https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/iit-bombay-iit-hyderabad-veg-only-spaces-row-food-segregation-casteism-13211402.html
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/iit-bombay-student-fined-for-protesting-against-veg-only-policy-2443753-2023-10-03
https://www.news18.com/opinion/opinion-a-non-vegetarians-vote-of-support-for-vegetarians-at-iit-bombay-mess-sticking-point-8605909.html
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/iitb-distances-itself-from-mess-council-s-exclusive-veg-tables-decision-101696528166015.html