Worms in idli, insects in chhole: Jamia hostel students protest food quality

For students living in Jamia Millia Islamia’s Jammu and Kashmir Girls’ Hostel, concerns over the food served in the mess have been building for months — and, they say, in some cases, for years.

The latest incident came on Wednesday when students allegedly found insects in chhole served during lunch. The discovery triggered a fresh protest on Thursday, with students demanding immediate action against the mess contractor and an overhaul of food and hygiene arrangements at the hostel.

But the episode was not an isolated complaint, according to the students.

Last November, a student had shared a message with her hostel mates after allegedly finding a piece of glass in her vegetable curry.

“Ye kaanch ke tukde sabzi me nikal rhe hain… ye kayi baar hua hai mere saath… kisi aur ko bhi ye mila hai?” the student had written, asking whether others had also encountered glass pieces in their food.

Students now say such incidents have repeatedly raised fears about the safety and quality of meals served to nearly 700 residents who depend on the hostel mess.

A complaint that kept returning

According to the students, the list of alleged problems is long — worms in idli and rice, insects in dal and chhole, undercooked rice, raw chicken and, on occasion, glass shards in vegetables.

Several students also claimed that some residents had fallen sick after consuming food served at the mess.

Tasleem Fathima, a fifth-year law student and member of the hostel mess committee, said concerns over food quality predated the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Before Covid too, the quality was very bad. Roti is sometimes very hard, rice is uncooked,” she said.

For students living away from home, the mess is not simply a place to eat but a daily necessity. With hundreds of residents relying on the same kitchen, students said repeated lapses had made them increasingly anxious about what was being served on their plates.

The latest incident prompted the residents to submit a formal representation to the university. Among their demands were the immediate removal of the mess contractor, protection from disciplinary action for students participating in the protest and deployment of women staff in the hostel mess.

The students also sought the resignation of the Provost, Warden and Caretaker.

University agrees to remove contractor

In the early hours of Friday, the university administration gave a written response to some of the students’ key demands.

An administrative official signed the response at 2:49 am, stating: “We are removing the mess contractor with immediate effect.”

The note also recorded that demands concerning immunity for protesters, deployment of women staff and termination of the existing contractor had been agreed to.

Following the written assurance, students temporarily suspended their protest. However, they resumed the demonstration later that evening, alleging that the same food arrangement continued despite the assurance.

Students said the protest resumed around 9 pm on Friday. They further alleged that electricity to the hostel was shut off around 1 am on Saturday and claimed that an official manhandled protesters.

The All India Students’ Association, in a statement issued on Saturday, said the students continued their demonstration despite what it described as intimidation.

The allegations have not been independently verified.

Protest ends after fresh assurances

The standoff was eventually resolved on Saturday night after a meeting between the students and the university administration.

Fathima said the protest was called off after the Proctor assured students that their demands had been addressed.

The university subsequently communicated that food quality would be monitored regularly by the Students’ Mess Committee, Provost and Wardens. It also said female staff would serve food and that a committee would be constituted to examine specific hygiene concerns in the hostels.

Chief PRO Prof Saima Saeed said the university had met all the students’ demands. “All the demands have been met. The contractor was changed,” she was quoted as saying.

Saeed added that since Jamia is a government university, appointing a new contractor would require following the tendering process. An interim arrangement has therefore been put in place, she said.

She also defended the cost of the hostel food, saying students pay less than ₹3,000 per month per person.

“Getting food for 700 people is not easy. Our food is the cheapest in Delhi, under ₹3,000 per month, per person,” she said.

For the students, however, the issue goes beyond the cost of a monthly mess bill. Their protest has brought a basic demand into focus: that the food served every day to hundreds of young women should be safe, hygienic and fit to eat.