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A fresh political flashpoint has emerged at Jadavpur University after the right-leaning Nationalist Students’ Front (NSF) submitted a deputation to the Vice-Chancellor urging the administration to prohibit the sale of beef and beef-based products at upcoming campus festivals. In its letter, the NSF argued that allowing beef stalls during university fests would “hurt the religious sentiments” of Hindu students and disturb campus harmony. The student body warned of consequences if the authorities failed to act and objected to what it described as “explicit” postering depicting what they called “cow slaughter”.
In the deputation, the NSF called for an immediate written directive barring the sale, cooking or distribution of beef on university premises during the fests. It also sought mandatory undertakings from vendors to comply with the proposed restriction, along with strict monitoring by university security. “The cow holds a deeply sacred place in the Hindu faith. The attempt to sell beef openly in a general campus fest is not a matter of ‘culinary choice’ but a politically motivated provocation designed to hurt religious sentiments,” the letter stated.
NSF representative Somsurya Banerjee said the demand was aimed at preserving institutional harmony. “If the University respects the sentiments of every other community, it must respect ours too. Harmony is built on fairness, not selective neutrality,” he said, adding that the administration must ensure that no section of students feels unheard or restrained.
The deputation has triggered strong reactions from Left and Trinamool-affiliated student organisations, who have accused the NSF of attempting to impose dietary restrictions in the name of religion.
Students’ Federation of India (SFI) representative Abhinava Basu alleged that such demands reflect a broader political pattern. “In recent times, we have seen the BJP-RSS and other affiliated outfits attempting to impose restrictions on people’s food choices and personal freedoms. Such communal politics only seeks to divide people along dietary lines,” he said. “Jadavpur University has always upheld a free and democratic space, and no one has the authority to dictate what kind of food stalls can or cannot be set up on campus,” Basu added, asserting that the NSF’s deputation did not carry significant weight on campus.
Echoing similar sentiments, Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) representative Kishalay Roy said dietary choices fall strictly within the realm of individual liberty. “What a person chooses to eat is entirely their personal decision, and no one has the right to dictate those choices. If the university authorities decide to enforce such rules, then they should remove all food stalls altogether. It is unacceptable to single out one group over their food habits while allowing others to operate freely. No one has the right to interfere in what someone eats or wears, these are matters of personal choice and individual freedom,” Roy said.
The university administration has not yet issued a formal response to the deputation. With various students’ festival preparations under way, the issue is likely to intensify political contestation on campus in the coming days, once again placing questions of food, faith and freedom at the centre of student politics at Jadavpur University.
