Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has constituted a four-member fact-finding committee to examine CCTV footage after students alleged that a chameleon was found in a bowl of pulses served in their hostel canteen on Saturday. The university on Monday also said that it is seeking help from government investigating agencies to examine the footage.In a statement issued Monday, the university said the CCTV footage “appears to show” one of the boys’ hostel residents taking his bowl of pulses under a mess table, following which a group of students allegedly created a commotion claiming that a chameleon had been found in the bowl. The committee will examine the entire footage, including the circumstances leading up to the incident and the actions and roles of those involved, the university said.The panel formed over the latest allegations has also been tasked with determining whether the incident was part of any deliberate attempt to create disruption or bring disrepute to the university’s hostel messes. JMI said appropriate action would be taken under applicable rules if deliberate wrongdoing, fabrication, misinformation or other misconduct was established.Meanwhile, the Jamia unit of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) has alleged that six school hostel students, most of them minors, were summoned to the Proctor’s office at around 3.30 pm on Sunday without prior notice or explanation, and that their phones were seized. In a statement, the student group said the students were questioned individually by more than five members of the proctorial team about the incident.AISA alleged that the students were held for more than seven hours and one of them was pressured to “confess to having planted the reptile to defame Jamia”. The university has not responded to the claims. The student group also alleged that the administration had begun targeting students who spoke to the media and conducting searches of students’ rooms.Last week’s protestThe development comes days after a three-day protest by residents of the university’s Jammu and Kashmir Girls’ (J&K) Hostel over food-quality and hygiene issues. The protest was called off on Saturday night after a meeting with the administration and fresh assurances..Earlier, the J&K Girls’ Hostel, which has around 700 residents, had raised a series of complaints about the quality of food served at the mess. The immediate trigger for their protest was insects allegedly found in chole served during lunch on September 9. Students had alleged that worms in idli and rice, insects in dal and chole, undercooked rice, raw chicken and glass shards in sabzi had been recurring problems.Story continues below this adDuring the protest, the students submitted a formal representation seeking, among other things, termination of the mess contractor, immunity from disciplinary action for protesters, and deployment of only women staff in the hostel mess, which was eventually agreed upon by the administration on September 12, soon after which the protest was called off.However the same night, at AMK Hostel (Sir A.M. Khwaja Hostel) which houses at least 270 boys, a controversy erupted as the students reported food quality concerns and held a protest.Concerted attempt, says JamiaOn Monday, JMI said in the statement food quality and hygiene in its hostel messes were routinely monitored by hostel administrations, including provosts, wardens, caretakers and mess committees comprising hostel residents. It also said senior university officials, including the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar, occasionally have meals in boys’ and girls’ hostel messes to monitor food quality.The university has now decided to install additional CCTV cameras in all hostel messes and their kitchens. The surveillance system, it said, will enable 24-hour monitoring of food preparation, catering and related activities.Story continues below this adOn the disruptions, the varsity called it “concerted attempts” to disturb the normal functioning of its hostels and the wider academic environment through unsubstantiated allegations, misinformation and disruptive activities, including the circulation of reels and videos on social media.It warned that anyone found deliberately spreading misinformation or making allegations without factual and verifiable evidence could face action.At the same time, the university said genuine concerns relating to food quality, hygiene and hostel facilities would be addressed on a priority basis.