November 27th 2025.
The city of Bhopal has been facing a series of complaints in the education sector, with issues like contaminated water and poor quality food being brought to light. These problems have not only caused violent protests at the Vellore Institute of Technology in Sehore district, but have also been reported in other universities and higher education institutions in the city.
Similar concerns have been raised in institutions like Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, and Makhanlal Chaturvedi University in the recent past. In fact, just a few months ago, around 40 students from MANIT fell ill due to food poisoning after consuming 'aloo parathas' from the hostel mess. Despite a thorough inspection by the state government's Food and Drug Administration, no evidence was found to support the claims.
The situation is no different at RGPV, where the canteen contractor was changed after complaints of unhygienic food. However, the new contractor fled with a sum of Rs 1.30 lakh that was deposited by the students as advance payment. Meanwhile, students from Makhanlal Chaturvedi Journalism University have also reported issues like non-functional water coolers and a filthy canteen.
Ayush Singh, President of the MANIT Students' Council, revealed that the messes at their institution are managed by the students themselves. They take action by changing vendors if the quality of food or ingredients is not up to par. However, Shivam Jat, the state media head of ABVP, stated that the students only have control over deciding the menu, while the cooks and other mess staff are provided by the MANIT management.
According to Jat, Barkatullah University has set an example by giving students complete freedom to run the mess. They are responsible for selecting workers, purchasing raw materials, and deciding the menu. This is something that other institutions should also adopt, he suggested. Amisha Kachhawa, former President of the ABVP unit at MCU, stated that they recently gave a memorandum to the university's vice chancellor and registrar, demanding access to pure and filtered water within seven days. She also mentioned that after the VIT incident, steps have been taken to improve the canteen there.
Akshay Tomar, Bhopal district president of the NSUI, expressed his concerns about the poor quality of food served at the RGPV mess. He believes that the root cause of outbursts like the one at VIT is the absence of student union elections in colleges and universities. Without their own representatives to voice their complaints, students are often faced with penalties and harassment when they bring issues to the administration's attention.
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