Hindu students protest use of bricks allegedly belonging to temple at JnU cookout; organisers apologise, say they didn’t know

Tension flared at Jagannath University last night after students cooking beef khichuri near the campus temple allegedly used bricks belonging to the temple, prompting protests by Hindu students.

The cookout was organised by students of the 2021-22 academic session (17th batch) of the Department of Islamic History and Culture to celebrate the completion of their honours programmes.

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Around 9:00pm last night, aggrieved Hindu students staged a demonstration and formed a human chain, demanding an impartial inquiry and safeguards for religious shrines on campus.

Central Temple Management Committee Convener Ajoy Paul called for administrative action to protect the temple's sanctity and ensure communal harmony.

In a statement, the cookout organisers apologised for using the bricks, saying they were unaware that they belonged to the temple. They said they had initially planned to cook at the university cafeteria but switched to firewood because of low gas pressure. After a student objected to their first cooking spot, they moved elsewhere and used bricks they found nearby.

The students further said they removed the bricks and switched to an iron stove from the cafeteria after learning where the bricks came from. They also said they had apologised directly to the aggrieved students.

JnU Proctor Prof Azam said he sent an assistant proctor to the spot after learning about the incident. The students had not initially sought permission for the event but obtained verbal clearance after the authorities intervened, he said.

The proctor added that the students involved had been summoned and asked to submit a report. The incident would be investigated in full and necessary action taken, he said.