10-year-old circular asking Pune University students to be vegetarian for award sparks fresh controversy

Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) landed into controversy after some media reports on university putting condition to students of being 'vegetarian' to be eligible for 'Yog Maharshi Shelarmama' gold medal award. Following the controversy, SPPU administration clarified that the circular regarding the award is ten-year-old circular and the conditions for eligibility have not been decided by the university but the trust which is sponsoring the award. 

On Friday, the circular was shown by some electronic media stating that the SPPU has given condition to students that if they want to apply for Yog Maharshi Shelarmama' gold medal award, they will have to fulfil certain conditions. One of the conditions is that the student should be vegetarian and non-alcoholic. 

Apart from that the circular also states conditions like that students applying for the award should have a knowledge of the Indian culture and he or she should be following the culture in his daily life. In the same circular, it is also mentioned that the students practicing yoga and pranayama will be given preference. 

 Following the media reports, the university is now facing the criticism over the conditions mentioned in the circular. Santosh Shinde, Pune district president of Sambhaji brigade said, "We are condemning the circular issued by the university. In many government hostels, students are given non-veg food and even in midday meal, students get eggs to eat. While the education department is providing non-veg to students, the SPPU management is forcing students to go for veg. I feel the university management is following certain ideology."

However, the university has clarified that it is not a new circular. Arvind Shaligram, registrar of SPPU said, "The circular was first issued in 2006 and since then every year, university is issuing the circular with the same content."

Shaligram also clarified that the university has not decided the content. "The university has not given these conditions. All the conditions mentioned in the circular have been decided by the trust of Yog Maharshi Shelarmama who gives the gold medal award. These conditions were set ten years back only and every year, the university is only issuing the circular with the same content," he said.