Cockroaches in hostel food trigger clashes at Hyderabad college

Hyderabad: A protest broke out at the Sathavahana Boys Hostel of Resonance Junior College in Madhapur on Tuesday, July 7, after several students alleged that cockroaches were found in their food.

Around 20 to 30 students got into an argument with the hostel management at around 9:30 pm, and the police were called to disperse them. Local media said protesting students broke the windows of the hostel. However, Madhapur Station House Officer (SHO) D Krishna Mohan said no such complaint was received.

“An officer was sent after we received a Dial 100 call, and the situation was brought under control. No complaint has been received from either the management or the students,” the SHO said.

Cases of students falling ill after eating hostel food have seen a drastic rise in the past year. On July 6, as many as 17 students of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule BC Residential School in Birkoor of Kamareddy district fell ill after allegedly consuming contaminated food served at the hostel.

Around 30 students had complained of vomiting and discomfort after dinner on July 5. Of them, 12 developed severe symptoms, including stomach pain and diarrhoea and were rushed to the hospital on the same day. The next morning, five more students developed similar symptoms and were also admitted to the hospital.