General secretary for the hostel clarifies official stance

RTI filed pertaining to the matter

Students warned against removing others based on food choice

The Ambedkar Periyar Phule study circle of IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Bombay, released a post on Instagram that showcases a poster with the caption, “VEGETARIAN ONLY ARE ALLOWED TO SIT HERE”. 

The general secretary for the hostel-12 where this incident surfaced issued a clarification through mail that while the hostel has a facility for a separate counter for dispensing Jain food, no such provisions have been made with respect to the seating arrangement. He further reiterated the principles of mutual respect and tolerance that the institution upholds and warned the students that removing others from a seat over choice of food would attract a heavy penalty. 

Further an RTI (Right to Information) affidavit filed pertaining to this in November 2022 has resurfaced. The reply to this has clearly stated that there is no space designated for Jain or vegetarian food. There has been no instance of any student being penalised for consuming non vegetarian food in the hostel mess. No official meeting pertaining to the proposal of designating separate spaces for food has also taken place. No fine has been levied upon the students for eating non vegetarian food. Furthermore even during food preparation no measure is taken to isolate the food prepared for Jain students with those of other students. 

Therefore it appears that the poster is a result of some students taking matters into their own  hands.