The university, in its statement, said, “There was a conflict between a few students and the matter is being enquired into. Appropriate measures will be taken.”An altercation broke out between two student groups at the South Asian University (SAU) in New Delhi allegedly over non-vegetarian food being served at the university mess on the occasion of Maha Shivratri on Wednesday.A video circulating on social media shows a heated confrontation in the university mess, with a group of students, including a female student, caught in a physical scuffle. Students of SAU alleged that members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) were responsible for the clash.According to a second-year master’s student, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, members affiliated with ABVP had, a day earlier, requested that only vegetarian food be served in the mess on the occasion of Maha Shivratri.Also Read | From protests and suspensions to Noam Chomsky: The decline of South Asian University“There are two messes in the university,” the student said. “Today, in one of them, fish curry was being served. Some students, allegedly associated with ABVP, entered and attempted to snatch the fish curry away. A female student, part of the mess committee, objected, but they manhandled her.”The ABVP equated serving non-vegetarian food on such a day to “ideological terrorism”.Saarthak Sharma, ABVP state secretary, said: “Students have the right to follow their religious beliefs and traditions, and this right should be respected. When the university administration itself arranged for satvik food in the mess, trying to forcibly serve non-vegetarian food is not only insensitive but also ideological terrorism.”Also Read | Deafening silence and choreographed timidity in SAU, says Sri Lankan scholar forced to quit over Chomsky’s criticism of NDA govt“ABVP strongly condemns this act and demands that the administration take strict action against those Leftist goons who disrupted the harmonious atmosphere, hurt the religious sentiments of fasting students, and committed violence against ordinary students,” he added.Story continues below this adThe Students’ Federation of India (SFI), in a statement, accused ABVP members of instigating the violence and attempting to impose their dietary preferences on the wider student body. “The ABVP members viciously attacked students in the university mess because they refused to comply with their draconian and undemocratic demand that no non-vegetarian food be served on Maha Shivratri,” the statement read. It demanded action from the university administration, calling the incident an assault on secularism and student rights.Also Read | How India’s first international university failed to live up to its dreamThe university, in its statement, said, “There was aconflict between a few students and the matter is being enquired into. Appropriate measures will be taken.”Officers at Maidangarhi police station said a PCR call regarding the ruckus was received around 3.45 pm. When a police team reached the spot, it found no signs of an altercation. “There was a quarrel between two groups in the mess… The situation is peaceful now and no formal complaint has been filed…,” said an officer. © The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:New Delhi