Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay

non-vegetarian

IIT-B campus

Civil Engineering Department

Ambedkar Phule Periyar Study Circle

Kamala Mills fire

Director Devang Khakhar

After circular says ban followed “objections raised” by some people, institute backtracks and cites lack of permissions.Just weeks after it withdrew separate plates for non-vegetarians from its dining halls, the(IIT-B) has waded into another veg vs non-veg controversy.Civil, one of the institute’s most popular cafés, has ceased servingfood, including eggs, after objections were raised by a section of students and faculty.In a circular dated January 20, a copy of which is with Mumbai Mirror, the departmental committee looking after the café cited objections raised by “some people” as the reason for the meat/egg ban.Nearly every department in the sprawlinghas its own café. Civil, as the name suggests, is attached to theEarlier in January, students of Hostel no. 11 had received an email from the mess asking them to not “use main plates for non-veg dishes.” The email said the request had been issued in view of complaints from some students.The request was retracted following an outcry.A roof-top café, Civil, in fact was popular for its non-vegetarian delicacies and the change in menu has upset students. “It is utterly nonsensical. Just because some people have raised objections, can the authorities simply stop serving non-vegetarian food?” asked a first-year student pursuing his PhD.The– which has always fought for parity between vegetarians and non-vegetarians – said it clearly sees a political agenda behind the decision. A statement issued by the study circle said: “We suspect that this ban is the product of the institute’s policy to impose the food culture of a small section of people on the students’ community as a whole. The whole community should fight against the institutional move to impose a monolithic food culture.”Defending the decision, Ashish Juneja, a professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, who signed the circular, said Civil can only serve packaged food and thus it becomes difficult to serve non-vegetarian. “Only the food which has already been cooked at the central kitchen is brought here (Civil café) to serve. Preparation of tea/coffee and only limited heating is permitted in the café. Unfortunately, some of the non-veg items, including eggs, required some cooking, plus “final” sautéing and some preparation before they could be served. For this, we do not have the permission from the relevant food authorities,” he said in an email.Students, however, do not buy this argument. They pointed out that even before the meat ban, all food items served at the café were cooked at the central kitchen. They also pointed out that if what Prof Juneja is saying is true, then why did the circular that he signed referred to “objections raised” by some people.Prof Juneja said the circular was an internal matter and an investigation has been launched to find out how it got leaked. But he reiterated that the Civil café’s revised menu does not reflect a bias against non-vegetarians. He said that he is a non-vegetarian himself and “would be disappointed if my protein source is stopped. ”IIT-B’s official spokesperson also said that there is no bias against non-vegetarians and the ban has been put in place for the sake of students’ health.“It is preferable to serve non-vegetarian food only if it is freshly cooked. Even doctors advise this. The caterer of Civil café usually brings non-vegetarian items very early in the morning. By the time the food is served later in the day, it becomes stale,” she said. Asked about the nature of objections raised by “some people”, she said that these related to food being stale and that the café was being accorded preferential treatment as the other cafeterias don’t serve cooked food.“Heating and cooking is not allowed in cafeterias. This rule is being enforced in the light of the,” the spokesperson said.Several student organisations are now planning to approach IIT-Bto register their protest over the decision.