A dispute over cooking beef khichuri near a temple at Jagannath University has escalated into a controversy over religious sensitivities, the right to organise events on campus and the university administration’s handling of the situation.
What began on Monday as a dinner organized by students of the Department of Islamic History and Culture has now led to protests, conflicting interpretations of the incident, two administrative notices and plans for another event involving cow slaughter.
The university initially asked students to refrain from slaughtering animals on campus, citing public health and cleanliness.
However, following objections, it clarified that students had the right to organize such events, provided they did not interfere with others.
A group of students has since announced plans for a beef feast, while representatives of the university’s central temple say they have no objection to such an event as long as it does not take place in front of the temple or disrupt religious activities.
So, how did the controversy begin, and why has it continued despite attempts to resolve it?
How did it all begin?
On the evening of Monday, students from the 17th batch of Jagannath University’s Department of Islamic History and Culture organized a beef khichuri cookout near the campus’s Muktamancha.
The university’s central temple is situated nearby.
Some Hindu students objected to the location of the cooking arrangements, saying that preparing beef so close to the temple hurt their religious sentiments.
According to BBC Bangla, Joy Saha, member secretary of the university’s Central Temple Management Committee, approached the organizers with several other students around 8pm.
He said they asked what kind of meat was being cooked and eventually learned that it was beef.
“Given that it was happening in front of the temple, we felt quite distressed; our religious sentiments were hurt. We asked them to move it elsewhere,” he told BBC Bangla.
A heated exchange followed, with Saha alleging that some organizers responded provocatively and questioned the boundaries of the temple.
The university proctor intervened, and the cooking arrangements were moved farther away.
The organizers maintained that they had no intention of hurting anyone’s religious sentiments.
Was the dispute actually about temple bricks?
Another disagreement emerged over bricks allegedly taken from the temple premises to construct a temporary cooking stove.
According to The Daily Star, the organizers initially planned to cook at the university cafeteria but moved to an outdoor location because of low gas pressure.
They used bricks found nearby to build a stove, apparently without knowing that the bricks belonged to the temple.
After objections were raised, they said they removed the bricks, brought an iron stove from the cafeteria and apologised for the misunderstanding.
Some students consequently argued that the controversy was primarily about the use of temple property rather than the cooking of beef itself.
Joy Saha, however, disputed that interpretation.
He told BBC Bangla that the proximity of the cooking arrangements to the temple was the main concern, and the issue of bricks was secondary.
Following the confrontation, Hindu students held a procession on campus. The matter subsequently spread across social media, generating arguments between students and drawing wider attention.
If the dispute was resolved, why did tensions grow?
According to the university administration, the initial disagreement was resolved on the spot through the proctor’s intervention.
Further discussions between the parties the following day helped settle the matter.
However, online arguments continued, with some students portraying the objections as an attempt to restrict their freedom to eat beef on campus.
Others maintained that the concern was not about what students could eat but about respecting the religious space surrounding the temple.
Amid the controversy, some students began discussing plans for a larger beef feast involving the slaughter of cows on campus.
That prompted the university administration to intervene again.
Why did the university restrict animal slaughter?
On Wednesday, the university issued a notice signed by Proctor Professor Dr Md Azam Khan, asking students, teachers, officers and employees to refrain from slaughtering animals on campus.
The notice cited public health, cleanliness and the need to maintain a hygienic environment.
It also referred to a Dhaka South City Corporation public notice concerning restrictions on animal slaughter and warned that violations could lead to legal action.
The directive triggered fresh objections from students who questioned why the university was restricting animal slaughter following the dispute over beef khichuri.
Professor Azam Khan told BBC Bangla that the intention was to prevent further tensions during religious observances, not to create another controversy.
He said the administration had learned of plans to slaughter an animal and wanted to avoid an undesirable situation.
Later on Wednesday, the administration issued another statement clarifying its position.
It said the original misunderstanding over the cookout had already been resolved and that its subsequent appeal against animal slaughter was intended to prevent fresh tensions and protect religious harmony.
Expressing regret over the misunderstanding caused by its earlier notice, the administration said everyone had the right to organise events on campus, including those involving animal slaughter.
However, it urged students to ensure that their activities did not obstruct or interfere with others.
The clarification effectively softened the administration’s earlier position.
It did not, however, establish whether any proposed slaughter would separately comply with applicable municipal regulations.
What are students planning now?
Despite the clarification, a group of students has announced plans for a larger beef feast on campus.
Organisers have collected contributions from students and purchased a cow. Bangladesh Chhatra Majlish has also reportedly pledged to provide another.
Social media announcements advertised a registration fee of Tk70 per participant.
An organizer told BBC Bangla that the event was being arranged in protest against the administration’s earlier restriction.
The organiser indicated that the cows would likely be slaughtered in an open field near the Arts Building rather than outside the temple.
Jagannath University Central Students’ Union General Secretary Abdul Alim Arif told BBC Bangla that student representatives had met the administration and reached an understanding allowing the program to proceed.
He described the planned event as a protest against the university’s decision.
The draft identifies Friday, as the planned date.
Representatives of the central temple have clarified that they are not demanding a blanket prohibition on beef consumption or cow slaughter on campus.
Their principal concern is the location and its potential effect on religious activities.
“If they want to slaughter cows on campus, let them, that’s not an issue,” Joy Saha told BBC Bangla.
“However, it must not happen in front of the temple, nor should it disrupt the order and sanctity of the temple premises.”
He emphasized that the number of cows was not the issue, provided the activities respected the temple and its surroundings.
The university administration has urged all parties to maintain restraint and respect one another’s activities.