Violence by students at VIT Sehore campus over hostel meals

• Students fell ill due to poor food quality; anger led to damage of vice-chancellor’s bungalow and vehicles

• Administration and management inaction triggered societal outrage

Sehore (Madhya Pradesh) – On the night of 25 November, students at VIT (Vellore Institute of Technology), Sehore engaged in widespread violence. They vandalised the campus, set fire to several vehicles, and damaged the premises of the vice-chancellor’s bungalow.

The unrest erupted after 24 students fell ill due to poor-quality hostel food, prompting anger among the student body. The students were protesting the repeated complaints made regarding the substandard meals.

Violence involving over 4,000 students

1. A staggering 4,000 students gathered in the campus at night, vandalising buses, cars, two-wheelers, and even an ambulance. Police ontingents from five nearby stations were dispatched to control the situation.

2. Upon receiving news of the incident, activists from the All India Students’ Council arrived at the campus. Smoke from the fires was visible up to 1.5 kilometres away. The fire department was called in to extinguish the flames. After the violence, many students returned home. Authorities have granted the students five days’ leave.

3. Superintendent of Police Deepak Kumar Shukla stated that the students have been calmed and pacified. Meanwhile, food and medical authorities will investigate the samples of meals served in the hostel.

Editorial Perspective

When administration and management remain inactive despite repeated complaints, society’s anger escalates, resulting in such reactions. The management must consider why students resorted to violence, rather than labelling them as aggressive.