Overview
- In a September 7 advisory, the Office of the Chairman directed all hostels that any categorisation of food be confined to preparation and distribution, with no segregation for seating.
- IIT Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty said the institute never issued such an order, calling seat-based separation contrary to its policy of equality and urging students to dine together.
- The Hall Management Centre revoked the hall-specific arrangement, and the institute ordered the removal of any signage enforcing seating separation.
- The disputed August 16 email from the BR Ambedkar Hall mess general secretary, sent to roughly 1,300 residents, followed complaints about non-vegetarian meals being eaten at tables marked for vegetarians.
- The episode echoes earlier campus disputes over food-based divisions reported at IIT Madras in 2018 and IIT Bombay in 2023, underscoring a recurring debate over inclusion in shared dining spaces.