New Delhi: A student has reported finding a cockroach in a serving of chutney in the boys’ hostel mess of Delhi University’s South Campus, days after a gutka wrapper was found in a dosa.The insect was swimming in a serving of chutney that came with the uttapam breakfast on Tuesday. The hostel caretaker, a student said, acted casually when this was pointed out. He told the student to take a different plate. A protest started on the campus soon after. The students of Sabarmati and Aravali hostels started the agitation, raising concerns over food safety and hygiene.About 15 days earlier, a gutka wrapper was allegedly found in a dosa filling during breakfast.Videos and photos circulating on social media purportedly show the contaminated food.Sambhav, the first-year MA history student from Bihar, who found the insect in his food, told TOI: “I was taking food from the counter when I noticed a cockroach in the chutney. I immediately flagged it to the caretaker serving us. He took it casually and told me to take a different plate. It was treated as if it is normal. This is not the first time. Every now and then, insects are found in the food, and even after repeated complaints, nothing has improved.””Paban, a first-year MA student of political science from Assam, alleged that he fell ill after breakfast on Tuesday. “I had an exam that day, so I quickly ate breakfast and left. I felt nauseous during the exam and had to step out to vomit, which wasted my time and may affect my performance. I was taken to the hostel health facility, where I was told I may have eaten something bad. Later, I found out through a hostel WhatsApp group that a cockroach was found in the food,” he told TOI.He added that he wrote to hostel authorities seeking a rebate in the mess fees and permission to avoid mess food while recovering, and alleged that he was threatened with eviction after raising the complaint.Students residing in the hostels claimed the incidents were not isolated, alleging that residents have fallen ill in the past because of poor food quality. They also flagged unhygienic conditions in the kitchen and shared images that showed a cockroach infestation in pantry areas, use of partially rotten vegetables, and dough being kneaded using the wastewater of a water purifier.“We don’t have many options as most of us are from outside Delhi and depend on hostel facilities. When we raise issues, we are asked to adjust or look for accommodation elsewhere,” said another student.DUSU president Aryan Maan joined the students’ protest on Tuesday.Yashpal Rao, the South Campus students’ union president, said the issue has persisted for months. “The pantry infrastructure is very poor. There are cracks in the walls which allowi insects to enter. We have raised this multiple times but no action has been taken. After we held a protest yesterday, the administration has assured that wardens will monitor the food and eat with students for the next two months, and the current tender will be reviewed,” he said.He also alleged that due to an LPG shortage, a portion of the food in the mess was being cooked on firewood.TOI reached out to Manoj Prasad, provost PG Men’s hostel, but no response came to calls or messages till the time of going to press.
