ABVP protests for veg food autonomy at JNU

In a move addressing the concerns of vegetarian students, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest outside the office of the Dean of Students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Friday. Led by joint secretary Vaibhav Meena, the students submitted a memorandum demanding separate food arrangements and the safeguarding of food-related rights for vegetarian students residing in university hostels.

The protest, marked by a joint delegation, highlighted the growing discomfort faced by vegetarian students, particularly in hostels such as Mahi-Mandavi. During the ongoing holy month of Shravan, several vegetarian students expressed unease at having to dine alongside those consuming non-vegetarian food. In response, students had mutually agreed to introduce separate seating arrangements for vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals.

Meena alleged that this arrangement was disrupted by left-affiliated student union members and political groups, who, according to the ABVP, threatened students and the hostel warden, arguing that such practices were against the “JNU culture.”

Addressing the protest, Meena said, “ABVP will not tolerate this dictatorship. The demand of vegetarian students in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) — that their food not be prepared in utensils used for non-vegetarian food — has been longstanding. But due to leftist pressure politics, no one has dared raise their voice and the administration too has remained passive under this influence.”

According to Meena, the dean acknowledged the discomfort faced by vegetarian students and expressed willingness to implement arrangements that would prevent such inconveniences.