ROORKEE: The IIT Roorkee faced an embarrassing situation after a student protest from a hostel over the alleged presence of rats in food utensils in the mess kitchen area on Thursday. The institute stated that it was a “deliberate attempt” by some students. These students filmed the presence of rodents in the “closed” mess area late at night and circulated the footage on social media.The institute strongly refuted the rumours suggesting that contaminated food was served to students on that day.
On October 17, around 400 students residing in Radha Krishna Bhawan (hostel) gathered in the hostel mess and caused a commotion, alleging that very unhygienic and contaminated food was being served to them. They claimed that rats were freely roaming and jumping in food containers, utensils, and grain supplies.
It was reported that on Thursday, lunch was being prepared in the mess of Radha Krishna Bhawan (a multi-storey hostel) at IIT Roorkee. As usual, students went to the mess to eat, and some moved toward the kitchen. There, they allegedly saw two rats jumping into the pan where vegetables were being cooked. They recorded a video and called other students to the scene. Upon further inspection, they found a rat swimming in the pressure cooker where rice was supposed to be cooked. Additionally, they claimed other kitchen ingredients were also infested with rats. In response, the furious students boycotted the lunch.
As soon as the footage of this incident began circulating on social media, chaos ensued within the IIT administration, and the institution formed a committee to investigate the situation and initiate damage control. The next day, when the issue was prominently reported in the print media, the district’s food safety department inspected the hostel kitchen and collected samples of food, spices, and grains from the premises.
Over the issue, the institution conducted a preliminary investigation and issued a media statement: “…it has been clarified that the video(s) circulating on social media were taken by students who entered the mess late at night. The footage shows rodents in a closed area of the mess where only empty utensils and non-edible items were stored. No food items were contaminated. The video appears to be a deliberate attempt to misrepresent the situation. The mess has been thoroughly inspected, and it has been confirmed that all food served was safe and hygienic,” read the statement.
However, students claimed that the institute’s response was merely an attempt at damage control following Thursday’s incident. “If we assume that everything in the kitchen is fine, then why are these infection-carrying rodents still present?” said a student on the condition of anonymity.
The institute, however, stated that the investigation was still ongoing to address all aspects of the issue. “A detailed inquiry is underway, and the committee will ensure a thorough review of the situation to maintain the highest standards of hygiene and safety,” said Sonika Srivastava, Head of the Media-Cell of the institute.
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