Violence broke out at VIT University Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh’s Sehore district late Tuesday night after students alleged that contaminated water and poor-quality food on campus had triggered a jaundice outbreak.
Nearly 4,000 students assembled to protest, but the demonstration spiralled out of control when a section of the crowd set multiple vehicles on fire and vandalised university property, including the chancellor’s residence. The university has since declared a holiday till the end of November.
Students claim that more than two dozen people have shown jaundice symptoms in recent weeks. They allege that the administration ignored repeated complaints about food and water quality, and some also accused guards and staff of mistreating them when they raised the issue.
The local administration rejected rumours that any student had died. “There were issues related to water and food… Rumours of deaths due to jaundice are false. We are working to address the students’ concerns,” said Nitin Kumar Tale, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Ashta.
Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitendra Patwari termed the incident “extremely concerning” and urged the government to conduct a fair investigation. “It is reprehensible that children are not provided clean water and pure food. Strict action should be taken against those responsible,” he said on X.
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