Less than a week after an engineering college in Alappuzha district faced a controversy when a group of students hailing from north India complained that they were deliberately given beef cutlets at a seminar, classes at the institution have been suspended indefinitely following more unrest over the issue.
The Cochin University of Science and Technology late on Wednesday suspended classes at its College of Engineering in Kuttanad (CUCEK) after a meeting with the agitating students failed to arrive at a compromise.
The students claim that they were given beef cutlets, after being told it was vegetarian, during a seminar at the college premises on January 25. The students allege that the food was supplied with the knowledge of college principal Sunil Kumar N.
However, the principal, who had inaugurated the event, rubbished the claims and stated that the seminar was organised by an outside agency and the college had no role in it, including the catering arrangements.
According to media reports, approximately 150 north Indian students are agitating over the issue; some of them are reportedly associated with the ABVP, which is aiding their protest to demand the suspension of the principal. There were scuffles between north Indian and Malayali students over the issue on Tuesday.
Some Malayali students took to Twitter to counter the claims of the protesters. They claim that the agitating students knew that the cutlets were made with beef and were not forced or cheated into eating it.
(With agency inputs)
