LU closes down central mess for indefinite period

Lucknow University officials, on Wednesday, decided to close down the central mess for an indefinite period, a day after students vandalised it.

Proctor Vinod Singh asked the police to register a case against 17 students under different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The decision to shut the central mess for an indefinite period was taken at a meeting chaired by vice-chancellor SP Singh.

University officials decided to end the contract with the mess contractor after the varsity received several complaints of poor quality food being served to students.

Meanwhile, the contractor also gave in writing that he would not be able to run the mess at LU. Now, 500 students of different hostels have been left in the lurch.

The student leaders blamed LU officials for dragging their names in Tuesday’s incident of vandalism.

They said many of them whom LU officials identified, were staging peaceful protest several metres away from the mess. They challenged LU officials to check CCTV footages.

The university teachers were angry over LU officials’ laxity to take action against erring students.

The proctor, in his complaint, listed names of such student leaders who were earlier suspended or expelled from the campus for disturbing peaceful academic atmosphere of the campus, a teacher alleged.

The central mess was constructed at a cost of Rs 4 crore and was inaugurated by governor Ram Naik on August 14.

After a string of vandalism incidents at the mess, LU had hired 15 bouncers recently.

On Tuesday, when unruly elements damaged mess property, bouncers also could not control the situation.