A controversy erupted in Aligarh Muslim University on Monday after a group of vegetarian students alleged that they were served food cooked in oil used to prepare non-vegetarian dishes, a charge denied by the university.
Students at the Sir Syed Hall (North), in a letter to the vice-chancellor, alleged that they were served vegetarian food cooked in the same oil in which non-vegetarian meals had been made. They demanded action against the provost for negligence.
The matter came to light on Sunday when Bharatiya Yuva Morcha's city unit chief Nikhil Maheshwari issued a statement alleging that the incident at AMU was a "deliberate ploy" to hurt the sentiments of Hindus.
A written complaint was also filed at the Banna Devi police station on Sunday. AMU authorities, however, vehemently denied the allegations.
AMU spokesman Shafey Kidwai said preliminary inquiries conducted by the provost revealed that the allegation was "completely baseless". Kidwai said respect for religious sentiments of all students was the hallmark of AMU's secular traditions from the time of its foundation.
Kidwai said four members of the cooking staff had confirmed to the university that "fresh cooking oil released by the kitchen stock was used for cooking the entire vegetarian meal".
In May, AMU witnessed days of protests after BJP leaders demanded the removal of a portrait of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, from the campus.
In March, students groups had threatened protests during a visit by President Ram Nath Kovind over remarks he allegedly made in 2010 that Christianity and Islam were faiths that were alien to India.
