New Delhi: Allegations of food-based segregation at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) Mahi-Mandavi hostel triggered a political row on the campus on Wednesday. Left-affiliated members of the students’ union (JNUSU) accused the hostel president — a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) — of enforcing segregated seating in the mess for vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals. The ABVP has denied the charge, saying no official policy was implemented and that some students chose to sit separately on their own.According to the students’ union, the seating segregation was done under the hostel president’s influence and violated hostel norms. It termed the move an attempt to “divide students along dietary lines.” A protest was held outside the hostel on Wednesday evening. Responding to the allegation, ABVP member and JNUSU joint secretary Vaibhav Meena said no directive had been issued mandating separate seating. “Some vegetarian students were uncomfortable eating next to non-vegetarian meals, particularly during Sawan. They voluntarily chose to sit apart. This wasn’t imposed by anyone,” he said. Meena added that vegetarian students often avoid the mess on days when non-vegetarian food is served because both types of meals are prepared using the same utensils. “If one group has the right to eat what they want, others should also have the right to avoid what they don’t. The administration should ensure vegetarian food is cooked separately so all students can eat comfortably,” he said. Following the protest, JNUSU said that it took up the matter with the senior warden, who assured the union that no such decision had been approved of and promised to form an inquiry committee to examine the role of the hostel president, mess secretaries and mess staff. “This is a serious violation of JNU’s inclusive ethos. The campus has no history of food policing, and we will resist any attempt to divide the students,” the union said in a statement issued by its Left-affiliated office-bearers.