Madhya Pradesh government orders review of private universities after protests over unhealthy food at VIT Bhopal

In response to the large-scale unrest at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has ordered a high-level review of private universities in the state.

The move comes after students of VIT University in Madhya Pradesh’s Sehore protested against alleged poor food and water quality.

Minister in-charge Krishna Gaur has been directed to visit the campus, interact with students and management and ensure necessary steps are taken.

CM Yadav wrote in a post on

He also directed Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar to conduct a high-level review of all private universities and educational institutions in the state to identify student-related problems and resolve them promptly. The district administration was directed to look into the food and water issues and ensure their prompt resolution.

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Earlier, a three-member committee was formed by the Private Universities Regulatory Commission to investigate the reasons for the protest, role of the university management, campus conditions and the circumstances that led to the unrest. He has been ordered to submit a detailed report to the commission within seven days.

On Tuesday (November 25) night, massive unrest broke out at VIT University after students alleged that poor quality food and dirty water had led to the spread of jaundice on the campus. The situation went out of control as angry students set buses and automobiles on fire, damaged an ambulance and vandalized parts of the university campus.

Meanwhile, Ashta SDM Nitin Tale admitted to the problem of food and water, but rejected allegations of deaths. “Students had some problems with food and water. There were complaints about the quality, which led to the protests. There were rumors that children died due to jaundice, but this is not true. Samples of water and food are being collected to correct the deficiencies,” Tell said.

VIT Bhopal Registrar RK Nair also dismissed the rumors and refuted the claims of students’ deaths. Nair said, “Reports of death of students due to jaundice are baseless. No one has died in the university. Some cases of jaundice have been treated. Water and food have been tested and they are fine. We urge people not to spread baseless news.”

After the unrest in VIT University, the university management has declared holidays till 8th December.