IIT-M scholar thrashed over beef fest, HRD ministry seeks report

CHENNAI: A group of students at IIT-Madras on Tuesday allegedly thrashed a PhD scholar who had participated in a campus beef festival held to protest the central government’s ban on sale of cattle for slaughter at animal markets.

The organiser of the festival at the prestigious institution told Hindustan Times (HT) that six to seven students surrounded Aerospace engineering PhD student R Sooraj during lunch time at a hostel canteen on Tuesday and attacked him.

Sooraj’s right eye was seriously damaged and he was rushed to the hospital, said Abhinav Surya, a final year mechanical engineering student who organised the beef festival.

“We have lodged a complaint

A GROUP OF 70 TO 80 STUDENTS HELD THE BEEF FESTIVAL ON SUNDAY TO PROTEST AGAINST THE CENTRE’S NOTIFICATION AND UNDERLINE THAT THEY HAD A RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR OWN FOOD

with the dean of IIT-M and are planning to register a police complaint,” Abhinav told Hindustan Times.

A group of 70 to 80 students held the beef festival on Sunday evening to demonstrate against the Centre’s notification and underline that they had a right to choose their own food.

The states of Kerala and West Bengal have rejected the notification and called it a violation of India’s federal structure.

Meanwhile, concerned over the reports of violence on the campus, the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry on Tuesday sought a report from the institute.

According to sources, the ministry has asked the institute’s director to furnish complete facts about the incident after speaking to both the parties as it was felt that version of only one student was being shown by the media.

“We have sought a report on the matter and facts will be clear once we receive a response on the issue.

Violence of any kind is not acceptable on the campus,” said a source.

The HRD ministry had drawn flak after a Dalit PhD scholar Rohith Vemula had committed suicide last year resulting in protests across the country.