Lucknow: The King George's Medical University (KGMU) decision to ban non-vegetarian food in all hostel messes and canteens has snowballed into a political controversy, with opposition leaders criticising the move while BJP leaders and some religious figures defended the university's autonomy.
The controversy erupted after KGMU Chief Provost Prof. Kamal Kumar Sawlani issued an order on Tuesday directing that non-vegetarian food should neither be cooked nor served in hostel messes and canteens. The order, which came into effect immediately, asked hostel authorities to include protein-rich vegetarian food in students' meals to ensure adequate nutrition.
Samajwadi Party spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand described the order as a "Tughlaqi diktat" and questioned its selective application.
"Will Governor Anandiben Patel issue a similar order for BJP MPs who eat fish and rice in West Bengal? Why does the ideology change only after coming to Uttar Pradesh?" he asked.
Lucknow Eidgah Imam Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali called for the order to be withdrawn, saying more than 61 per cent of Indians consume non-vegetarian food. "From a medical perspective, a non-vegetarian diet is considered beneficial for human health," he said.
Shia cleric Maulana Yasoob Abbas, however, said the issue should not be politicised. "It is the university's decision. Those who wish to eat non-vegetarian food can do so outside the campus," he said.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Sharma defended the university's decision, saying educational institutions are empowered to determine the menu served to students. "If the majority of students prefer a particular type of food, the institution can make arrangements accordingly. There is no need to create a controversy over it," he said.
KGMU has 18 hostels where non-vegetarian food was served three times a week until the latest order.
Founded in 1905 as King George's Medical College, KGMU was granted university status in 2002. The decision has revived the debate over dietary choices and institutional autonomy, with political and religious leaders taking sharply different positions.
