NALGONDA: Was rice with chilli served to the girl students of one of the two women’s hostels of Mahatma Gandhi University near here on Tuesday?
A video in which chilli powder and rice were seen placed on a table in a hostel went viral on social media platforms but the university officials dismissed it as one orchestrated by students under the direction of a BRS leader to defame the university.
According to officials, they never interfere in the hostel menu. Students themselves prepare the menu and hand it over to the hostel warden. According to the menu, vegetables, and other items will be given to the hostel cooks.
The university authorities reportedly checked the mobile phone of a student after learning through the staff that she had taken videos and photos while rice and chilli were on the table.
It was found that the student had a mobile chat with a student union leader. The authorities seem to have noticed that the student responded to the chat by saying that she had taken photos and videos of rice and chilli powder and sent them to him. The student leader is considered very close to a BRS leader.
The officials suspect that all this has happened under the direction of the BRS leader. The CCTV footage of the hostel was also checked. The director of the hostel, Domala Ramesh, told TNIE that the incident is being investigated thoroughly on the directions of the registrar and vice chancellor of the university.
Around 750 girl students of different courses stay in two different hostels. On Tuesday, a few of the 375 students staying in Krishnaveni hostel had bonda and palli chutney for breakfast, while some other students wanted the hostel staff to make lunch early as they had exams.
The cooks had rice ready by 10 am and told the students that it would take some time for them to prepare the curry. The staff are understood to have asked the students if they would mind having rice and chilli powder for lunch. The students then took pictures of chilli powder and rice placed in containers on the table. The director of the hostel said the staff told him that the students laughed and left when they asked them why they were taking pictures.