Fest gone awry: Hundreds protest at IIT Madras over beef ban row
In what began as a fest held to protest the the Centre's ban on sale of cattle for slaughter in markets, IIT-Madras on Wednesday saw the situation intensify with hundreds, including students affiliated to political outfits, coming together with shouts of slogans of 'Jallikattu part 2', 'IIT administration being overrun by gau rakshaks' in and outside the campus premises.
In what began as a fest held to protest the the Centre's ban on sale of cattle for slaughter in markets, IIT-Madras on Wednesday saw the situation intensify with hundreds, including students affiliated to political outfits, coming together with shouts of
The protesters, among other things, demanded action against the gang of students who had assaulted a PhD scholar for taking part in a protest beef fest held inside the campus on Sunday night. Sooraj was allegedly attacked by a group of right-leaning students led by Manish Kumar Singh for participating in the fest. (EPS | Sunish P. Surendran)
Students rubbished claims that the attack was due to personal animosity rather than being politically motivated. (EPS | Sunish P. Surendran)
Groups like the Students Federation of India, Democratic Youth Federation and Revolutionary Students Federation of India gathered amid heavy security to condemn the violent incident and demanded the expulsion of the perpetrators. (EPS | Sunish P. Surendran)
The protests also saw women and children alike participating in the protest against the Centre's decision that targets banning the consumption of meat in the country. (EPS | Sunish P. Surendran)
The Centre's decision has drawn ire from several corners, with the Kerala government today deciding to convene a meeting of all chief ministers to discuss the ban on sale of cattle for slaughter. (EPS | Sunish P. Surendran)
Slogans like 'Jallikattu part 2,' 'IIT administration being overrun by gau rakshaks', 'arrest of Manish Kumar Singh' and ' IIT being run by Brahmins,' were chanted throughout the protest. (EPS | Sunish P. Surendran)
A youth marking his protest on the Centre's decision of meat regulation, at IIT Madras on Wednesday. (EPS | Sunish P. Surendran)
A woman protester at the IIT campus on Wednesday. (EPS | Martin Louis)
Children amid the protests at IIT Madras on Wednesday. (EPS | Sunish P. Surendran)
The protests are likely to extend as students claimed that none of their demands were met after meeting the dean on Wednesday and that the administration did not even form a special committee to look into the matter. (EPS | Sunish P. Surendran)
