Weeks of anger over a jaundice outbreak at their hostel believed to have spread from alleged contaminated food and water at the hostel of the Vellore Institute of Technology in Madhya Pradesh’s Sehore led to widespread arson and pillage allegedly committed by the students of the institute late on Tuesday.
Vehicles were set ablaze and buildings, including parts of a high-ranking official, vandalised.
Eyewitness accounts said students came out of the hostels late in the evening, armed with lathis and hockey sticks, moved through the campus in groups, and targeted vehicles parked near the academic blocks.
Videos circulating on social media showed flames rising from a bus, two four-wheelers and an ambulance. Hostel windows were smashed. An RO plant was damaged. Several parts of the campus were left charred.
Although the buildings closest to the road remained intact, parts of the bungalow inside the campus was reportedly damaged.
PTI reported that between 3,000 and 4,000 students were part of the protest.
After being alerted, the sub-divisional officer of police, Ashta and security personnel from several police stations rushed to the college campus located along the Indore-Bhopal highway.
The immediate trigger was health concerns.
Students said that poor hygiene, unsafe drinking water, and declining food standards had led to multiple cases of jaundice among hostellers.
The Indian Express reported that around two dozen students had shown symptoms in recent weeks. One student told the newspaper that the protest grew after the administration “kept dismissing our complaints without giving any clear answers.”
Hostellers alleged that when they tried to speak up, staff members and guards responded with threats. Some complained of physical intimidation.
One student quoted by The Indian Express said the “lack of concern and aggressive behaviour pushed students to the edge.”
Sehore Superintendent of Police Deepak Shukla said the situation is currently normal.
The SDM and SDOP will take applications from all hostel students of the VIT regarding their problems and information about the sick students, he said.
Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari targeted the government over the matter.
In a post on X, he claimed, "Jaundice has spread widely in VIT, the state's premier educational institution. A large number of students are admitted to hospitals in Bhopal, Ashta, and Sehore. There are also reports of several children being seriously ill."
If, despite charging hefty fees, the institution fails to provide children with basic amenities, clean water, and pure food, this should be considered a "crime", Patwari said.
"The BJP government wants to suppress the voices of children," the Congress leader alleged.
The university management announced a shutdown in the campus till 30 November.