SAU students protest Navratri non-veg food ban, flag imposition of religious norms

A notice displayed outside the South Asian University (SAU) mess earlier this week, declaring that non-vegetarian food would not be served from the beginning of Navratri until 2 October, has sparked student protests.

Students have criticised the move as an attempt to impose religious practices on what is meant to be an international and inclusive academic environment.

Those opposing the decision argue that it restricts dietary freedom and disregards the needs of students who depend on non-vegetarian meals provided in the hostel mess.

“This is not about food alone. It is about enforcing a particular cultural and religious norm in a university meant to represent India’s diversity and accept students from all cultures,” said a first-year Master’s student.

Students claim that the notice reflects a pre-emptive move by the administration to avoid potential conflicts by suspending the provision of non-vegetarian food during the nine-day Navratri festival. However, they argue that such actions sideline cultural and dietary diversity.

This is the second time in a year that such protests over food choices have disrupted life on campus. In February, tensions flared over the serving of non-vegetarian food on Maha Shivratri. The student groups had clashed over whether the meal plan should be altered for religious observance.

SAU, which draws students from across South Asia, is expected to reflect secular and inclusive values.

Protesters contend that decisions such as this one send the wrong message about religious neutrality on campus and infringe upon personal choices, particularly in shared spaces like hostel dining facilities.

As of now, the administration has not issued a formal response to the students’ concerns.

This is not the first time South Asian University has witnessed unrest. The campus has seen multiple protests over the years, involving issues of student rights, food choices, and academic freedom:

• Stipend cuts protest (2022): Students protested the reduction of monthly stipends, demanding an increase instead. The administration partially rolled back the cuts, but the protest escalated, resulting in the suspension and eventual dismissal of faculty members accused of supporting the agitation. Several students were expelled or rusticated.

• Scholarship & free-ship demands: Students have previously raised concerns over inadequate PhD funding and limited access to financial aid, pushing for revised criteria and better support structures.

• Disciplinary action protests (2023): Individual students, including one LLM student, staged sit-ins against hostel eviction and what they described as arbitrary disciplinary action. The protest drew police attention but also raised broader concerns over procedural fairness.

These repeated instances reflect growing tensions around governance, inclusivity, and the role of cultural norms on campus.

SAU was established in 2010 in New Delhi as a unique regional initiative under the auspices of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

The idea for the university was first proposed in 2005 during the 13th SAARC Summit held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where member states agreed on the need for an institution that would foster closer academic collaboration and people-to-people ties across the region.

India offered to host and largely fund the university, and the proposal was endorsed by all SAARC nations.

The founding vision of SAU was to promote regional integration through higher education and research. It was conceived as an international institution that would reflect the shared intellectual heritage and cultural diversity of South Asia while offering world-class academic programmes.

The university is open to students from all eight SAARC member countries—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—and its governance and funding are jointly managed by these nations, with India bearing the major financial responsibility.