JNTU Hyderabad students protest after lizard found in chole curry at hostel mess

For students who had already finished dinner, the discovery came a little too late.

Students spotted a lizard in a large vessel of chole curry at the Manjeera Hostel mess of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad, on Thursday night, triggering panic among residents and prompting a protest against the university administration.

Videos circulating among students purportedly show the reptile moving inside the vessel where the curry was prepared and served.

The discovery sparked serious concerns about the food consumed by students who had eaten from the same batch before the contamination came to light.

The incident soon snowballed into a larger protest at the hostel, with students questioning the university's handling of food safety and sanitation.

Angry residents accused the mess staff of negligence and alleged that the administration had repeatedly failed to address complaints about the quality of food being served on campus.

Students also questioned what they described as a glaring disconnect between the money they paid and the facilities they received.

They pointed out that room rents and mess charges were collected regularly, but the quality and hygiene of hostel food remained a concern.

According to the protesting students, they had raised complaints about substandard food with the authorities on earlier occasions as well. However, they alleged that little had changed despite repeated representations.

They are now demanding stringent action against the mess contractor and the officials responsible for overseeing hostel facilities, along with an assurance that safe and hygienic meals will be served.

The latest episode has also brought renewed attention to complaints about sanitation and maintenance across the university's residential facilities. Students had previously flagged rats, dogs, and cats inside hostel premises, sharing videos that allegedly showed the animals moving freely through rooms and corridors.

The recurrence of such complaints has intensified questions about the university's upkeep of student accommodation.

For hostel residents, the lizard found in their dinner curry has become another flashpoint in a growing dispute over basic living conditions, food safety and accountability.