Separate veg, non-veg plates split IIT Bombay

An email requesting non-vegetarians to use "only the tray-type plates meant for non-veg dishes" has raked up a controversy on the IIT-Bombay campus. The mail also said: "Please do not use the 'main' plates for non-vegetarian dishes."

Every hostel has its own council and is managed by students. The mess co-ordinator of Hostel 11, housing around 300, sent the mail on Saturday. The co-ordinator, also a student, issued a clarification on Monday after the mail was "questioned" on social media. Some supported the mail stating plates for vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes should be separated; many were outraged by the "segregation".

One of the comments said: "What most people seem to have a problem with is the term 'main plates'. They say it is a ploy to make vegetarian diet the preferred one and to push right-wing Hindu agenda..." Many supported it.


The mess team posted a clarification. "The practice of using separate smaller tray-type plates for non-vegetarian dishes has existed for years now. The mail was just requesting students to stick to the practice since there have been complaints from vegetarians too. The mess co-ordinator did not mean to offend anyone," a student from the hostel committee said.