On Tuesday, the Madras High Court disposed of a petition filed for establishing a ‘peacekeeping committee’ at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, following incidents of violence that occurred after a ‘beef fest’ was organised on campus in 2017. “While students have a right to protest, such rights must be exercised mindfully,” the Court observed.

One has the right to demonstrate, but the demonstration must be lawful, peaceful, and orderly, noted a bench of Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice PD Audikesavalu. The court was considering a PIL that former student and research scholar Ditty Mathew and other students had filed in the case.

According to a police report, students participated in lawlessness during the rallies that were staged in response to the 2017 event and they allegedly ‘squatted on roads, obstructing traffic’.

“They (students) have rights, but there is a way to exercise rights. It is true that students must be handled delicately, but at the same time, students can’t be permitted to go berserk. It says here they were squatting on roads, obstructing traffic, being part of unlawful assembly,” the Court remarked.

The Court discovered that a total of six First Information Reports (FIRs) had been filed after an investigation into the violence that followed the “beef fest,” and that the trial court was now hearing the cases.

The Court further stated that it did not wish to comment on the case’s merits because it was still being heard by the trial court. It also refused to look into whether such a committee was still necessary or whether the victims of the assault needed to be compensated.

“You are asking for a Committee and action against some people. But what about you? Should action not be taken against the students who squatted on the roads, obstructing traffic, and breaking the law? The police report says the students were part of an unlawful assembly. Why should action not be taken against them (the protesting students)? They must have all passed out (graduated) by now,” the bench remarked.

A group of students who were pursuing their studies at IIT Madras at the time filed the PIL in 2017. The petitioners demanded the creation of a commission made up of professors and presided over by a retired judge from the High Court to offer recommendations on how to prevent future acts of violence on campus.

According to the PIL, some students sent an invitation on Facebook to their friends and other classmates for a “beef fest,” where participants would eat cooked beef dishes and discuss the effects of the Union government’s notification governing the sale of cattle for slaughter. According to the petitioners, the discussion was attended by about 50 individuals who also ate cooked beef and bread.

Following this, it was reported how selective media reports in the media emerged claiming that one of the participants was attacked by certain students with allegiances to the Right Wing groups. According to the petitioners, the victim student was hospitalised after suffering significant injuries. They said that while the attackers had been located, IIT had taken no action.

The High Court noted on Tuesday that an affidavit given by the IIT and a police report brought before the Court made it evident that the college management had taken action after an investigation. The bench further noted that the police had filed FIRs in the case and that the legal process had already begun.

What had happened at the time and how the media selectively reported the incident of beef eating at IIT

In 2017, some students of IIT Madras too wanted to do their bit and reportedly organised a beef-eating ‘festival’ at the campus on Sunday night. Following this, reports in the media emerged that a PhD student by the name of R. Sooraj, who had taken part in that beef fest, was attacked on Tuesday by certain students with allegiances to Right Wing groups.

The reports claimed that R Sooraj, who was part of an Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle, was ironically having lunch at a vegetarian mess with a friend when a student named Manish asked him if he had eaten beef at the festival. He was then suddenly surrounded by 7-8 students and before he could react, was hit behind the head by Manish. Picture of him with a swollen eye was splattered across media platforms.

However, that appeared just one side of a story which the media chose to highlight. According to SG Suryah, the Vice President of the BJP’s Tamil Nadu youth wing, Sooraj himself is an aggressor who has injured Manish in a much worse way. Suryah pointed out that the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle, of which Sooraj was a member, had a history of indulging in violence on campus. Suryah also denied the reports that it was Manish had any links to Right Wing organisations.

Suryah then put forth the version of events which he claims were largely ignored by the media. He claims that Manish saw Sooraj at the Jain mess and asked him what he was doing there after organizing a beef party. This evolved into a verbal spat in which Sooraj made some provocative statements. This resulted in a fight between the two and unlike what the media reported, Manish suffered a fracture on his hand while Sooraj suffered injuries below his eyes.

According to the BJP leader, Sooraj had made provocative statements like he would feed Manish beef and even cut Manish to pieces and eat him. The BJP leader also posted the picture of an injured Manish who had to go through an operation.

This version of events as narrated by the BJP leader were reiterated in this report which carried a quote from an IIT Madras spokesperson. The spokesperson also claimed that it was an altercation between two students and both suffered injuries.