Last Update: January 21, 2023, 11:04 AM IST
Most of the students of Hansraj are against the ban on non-vegetarian food and see it as an attempt to establish cultural hegemony, the SFI said (Representational image)
The Hansraj College unit of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) on Wednesday called for a protest outside the college hostel against the ban on non-vegetarian food in the institute.
Police on Friday allegedly detained 40 students protesting outside DU’s Hansraj College against the “ban” on non-vegetarian food. A representative of the student organization gave this information.
Protesters in large numbers had gathered outside the college to protest against the decision but the students claimed that the college did not allow them entry and locked the gate.
According to the police, around 30 to 35 students were protesting against the ban.
Students Federation of Hansraj College Unit India (SFI) on Wednesday called for a protest outside the college hostel against the discontinuation of non-vegetarian food in the institute. “We started our protest peacefully. However, the college administration did not allow us to enter. They have closed all the gates and no officer is coming out to talk to us.
“We want to submit a memorandum but they are not giving us entry,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said, “The protesting students were asked to leave the spot, however, when they did not leave, 14 to 15 students were detained and later released.” The students had said that Hansraj College had stopped serving non-vegetarian food in its canteen and hostel after it reopened in February last year after the pandemic.
The SFI has claimed that there have also been instances where the Hansraj administration confiscated eggs from students who brought them to the hostel.
The student group said that most of the students of Hansraj are against this ban on non-vegetarian food and see it as an attempt to establish cultural hegemony.
Despite facing widespread criticism, Rama Sharma, principal of Hansraj College, refused to withdraw the order and said the DU constituent college follows the philosophy of Arya Samaj.
Speaking to PTI, Sharma also claimed that 90 per cent of the students are vegetarian and had earlier opposed non-vegetarian food being served in the hostel.
“We are not going to withdraw the notice regarding non-vegetarian food. It is an Arya Samaj College. We have our own principle and that’s why we will not serve non-veg food. We do ‘Havan’ regularly. We follow our rules. It is written in the hostel prospectus that non-veg food will not be served in the hostel.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)