Vellore Institute of Technology, Bhopal. File (Source: vitbhopal.ac.in)
The Vellore Institute of Technology, Bhopal, has blamed last month’s violent protests by students following a jaundice outbreak on campus on “misinformation” spread through social media and refuted the allegations made in a government report.
In a response on Wednesday (December 10, 2025) to a notice issued by the Higher Education Department, the VIT termed the allegations in the government report as “fallacious and misconceived” while also denying charges of a “fearful atmosphere” and harassment of students on campus. It said that the notice was based on “baseless allegations”
“On November 25, 2025, the entire academic activities were going on normally till evening. In certain social media handles, a sudden onslaught of fake news was spread regarding death of three students and 300 others being in critical condition. Additionally, there were posts in the student WhatsApp groups to provoke our students to come out and lodge protests. The university administration came to know of this development and tried to explain the position to the students and to assuage the situation. However, students in Boys Hostel 1, 6 and 8 still went on with their protest, perhaps being instigated by some persons,” it said in the reply seen by The Hindu.
It claimed that 35 cases of jaundice had been reported out of over 17,000 students. Several students, however, have alleged that the University authorities had asked many who showed symptoms to go home.
On the night of November 25, nearly 4,000 students launched a massive protest on the campus in Sehore district after a warden and some staff members allegedly assaulted a group of students when they complained about the quality of food and water. The protest soon turned violent with students torching various vehicles, including a bus and an ambulance, and vandalising properties across campus such as the chancellor’s residence, mess and laboratories.
Following the violence, a three-member committee of the Madhya Pradesh Private University Regulatory Commission (MPPURC) was formed to probe the incident and on December 1, the government issued a show-cause notice to the University administration.
In its reply, the VIT said, “The University has 17,121 number of students out of which 9,271 boys and 3,870 girls reside in the hostels. The food arrangements/mess for these hostels are run by reputed caterers from Indore, Bhopal and Chennai. Regular meetings are carried out with these vendors by the chief wardens and the hospitality manager of the University, where student feedback on food and hygiene are also discussed.”
It also claimed that the faculty and students eat at the same mess.
While the MPPURC report had said that four out of 18 water samples collected from the campus did not meet required standards, the VIT said that water was supplied across campus after treatment through filtration and purification systems installed.
“The university has upgraded the existing purification system by introducing advanced ozonisers that help remove harmful microbes and enhance the taste of water. Additional sand filters and a water softener are also being installed to improve the overall filtration process. The university is forming a dedicated Water Quality Control Committee comprising faculty members and student representatives,” it said, adding that the University is also setting up a water testing facility on campus.
It also denied the allegation that the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO), Sehore, was detained at the University entrance for two hours during an inspection visit and termed the claim “misleading”.
“The assistants of CMHO were at the gate for about 10 minutes waiting for CMHO to arrive and our security was coordinating with our Medical team and hostel authorities to facilitate smooth passage. In fact, during our discussion with the inspection team in presence of the CMHO, the latter stated that the officials were in the campus for nearly two hours for inspection and not waiting time,” the response read.
Published – December 12, 2025 12:40 am IST
