MP government backs down, no action against VIT Bhopal students after rampage

Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar on Tuesday, 2 December assured the state Assembly that no punitive action would be taken against students who protested at VIT Bhopal over deteriorating water quality that sparked a jaundice scare on campus.

He emphasised that the university’s internal systems were “not right from the humanitarian point of view” and warned that the government was prepared to initiate strict action against the management.

Responding to questions from Opposition Congress MLAs, Parmar said that four of the 18 drinking water distribution points on campus were found to be contaminated during testing. Congress leaders sought to corner the government over unrest on the premises, where nearly 4,000 students had gone on a rampage on 25 November.

A state-appointed inquiry committee had found that the university administration allegedly attempted to suppress information about a jaundice outbreak, contributing to students’ anger.

Parmar informed the House that fresh samples of drinking water and food items were collected on 26 November. He said: “Upon testing the drinking water samples, four out of 18 distribution points were found to be contaminated. The Registrar of VIT University was instructed to eliminate bacterial contamination at all points. The Public Health Engineering Department has been directed to submit updated test reports.”

According to university records shared with the government, 23 male students and 13 female students had shown symptoms consistent with jaundice. The university, however, questioned the testing methodology. A VIT spokesperson said the samples were collected from Hostel-1, which “did not report a single jaundice case”, and added that the use of “used mineral water bottles” for sample collection might have compromised results.

Parmar also told MLAs that the state commission examining complaints against the university had earlier acted on multiple grievances, including imposing a Rs 10 lakh penalty in one case.

The university spokesperson responded that the fine was related to alleged procedural lapses in course ordinances. “We reapplied for approval, underwent an inspection, and yet were fined,” the spokesperson claimed.

Congress MLAs Hemant Satyadev Katare and Dinesh Jain pressed the minister on why earlier complaints had not led to stronger action. They alleged that VIT University was “built like a fort”, where even the district Chief Medical and Health Officer was made to wait two hours at the gates.

Parmar conceded that there had been “constant complaints” and “long-standing resentment among students”. He added: “It’s true that outsiders normally cannot enter. The system there was not right from the humanitarian point of view, and once we received the committee’s report, we discussed the matter with the Chief Minister and decided to proceed immediately.”

He assured the House that the state was preparing stringent action “as tough as any faced by a university in the country”, even as student protesters would face no repercussions.

With PTI Inputs