New Delhi, Sept. 14 -- At Jamia Millia Islamia, a protest over worms and insects in hostel food has brought into focus a larger student concern whether complaints are being heard before they turn into agitations.
Students of the Jammu and Kashmir Girls' Hostel called off their three-day protest after the university assured them that the mess contractor had been changed, male mess staff would be replaced by female staff and food quality would be regularly monitored. Students had alleged repeated instances of insects in chhole, worms in idli and rice, undercooked food, raw chicken and glass shards in vegetable curry.
Ananya, a Jamia law student who was among those involved in the protest, said the immediate trigger was insects found in chhole and worms in custard on the same day. Students said similar complaints had been made earlier, including over a glass shard reportedly found in vegetable curry last November.
Saurabh, an AISA representative and Jamia student, said complaints about the contractor had persisted since 2018 and that students had protested against the vendor in 2023 as well. He alleged that students were repeatedly asked to raise complaints through the mess committee, while responsibility for food preparation remained with the contractor.
The protest also raised concerns over student accountability. Saurabh alleged that some students were subsequently called individually by hostel authorities and questioned about their participation.
Students also raised concerns over admission discrepancies, alleging lower-ranked candidates received seats while higher-ranked applicants were overlooked. The university reportedly termed the issue a clerical error. No response was received from the VC's office.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.