Roorkee: The student protests at IIT Roorkee against serving non-veg food at the campus canteen gained momentum as the ABVP workers in the area also joined the protests, further flaring up the protests at the campus gate on Tuesday. The protesting students of the council reportedly broke the barricades, while assaulting some IIT employees.
Earlier, a group of Bajrang Dal protesters also reached the campus to support the students and burnt an effigy of the management of the institute at the IIT gate. The ABVP workers, who reached there this morning, were purportedly trying to break into the campus and therefore attempted to break the barricades. They claimed that the institution's management is trying to harass vegetarian students while warning that the management may have to face fierce protests if they do not withdraw their decision to serve non-veg food soon.
Also read: Students protest at IIT Roorkee, as last mess serving veg food turns Non-Veg
The protest was first staged on August 26 when the students complained of non-veg food being served at the Azad Bhavan hostel mess, which served only veg food until then. The protesting students sat on a 'dharna' with empty plates outside the hostel's building demanding the authorities take notice of the matter and give orders for action.
One of the protesting students informed that Azad Bhavan was the only hostel on campus that served only vegetarian food and was therefore the preferred option for the vegetarian students. However, the place to has started serving non-veg two days a week creating unrest among the vegetarian students on campus. Some of the protesters went a step ahead and alleged that they are being forced to eat non-vegetarian food with this move by the canteen. "We are not going to allow such dictatorship on the campus from the IIT Roorkee management," the enraged protestor said.
