Lizard in chole curry sparks panic among JNTU-Hyderabad students

A lizard was spotted in a vessel of chole curry at JNTU Hyderabad's Manjeera Hostel mess on Thursday night, triggering a student protest. Students accused the university administration of neglecting food hygiene and demanded action against the mess contractor.

Hyderabad: A routine dinner turned into a panic situation at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) – Hyderabad here on Thursday night when students spotted a lizard in a curry.

Videos shared by the student community shows a lizard moving inside a large vessel in which Chole Curry was cooked and served to students in the dinner at Manjeera Hostel mess. Several students had already completed their food when the lizard was spotted in the vessel, raising concerns about their health.

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Upon learning of the incident, a large number of students staged a protest at the hostel. Protesters lashed out at the university administration and accused the mess staff of gross negligence regarding food quality and hygiene in the hostels.

Protesters lamented that while the university has regularly been collecting room rents and mess charges, it completely neglected the quality of food provided to students.

Students said despite them raising the issue of poor-quality food with the officials concerned in the past yet nothing much changed. They demanded the university initiate strict action against the mess contractor and administrators over the issue. They also wanted good and hygienic food to be provided to hostel students.

Earlier, students voiced their concerns over the presence of rats, dogs and cats in their hostels. They also shared videos showing the animals roaming freely in rooms and corridors, raising concerns over hygiene and maintenance at the university hostels.