A student body of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) has claimed a fine of Rs 10,000 has been imposed by the administration on pupils who protested against segregation of tables over vegetarian food at its hostel’s canteen.

“@iitbombay has imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the students who had stood against the food segregation policy of the institute by a peaceful act of individual civil disobedience. This action of the admin is similar to a Khap Panchayat (caste council) acting to uphold untouchability in modern times,” the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle, a Left-leaning students body of the institute, said in a post on X late Monday night.