The Jawaharlal Nehru University has ordered four students to pay fines for cooking and eating biryani near the administration block in June, PTI reported. The university said the students had flouted the rules by cooking biryani and fined them between Rs 6,000 and Rs 10,000 for indiscipline.

“In a proctorial enquiry you have been found guilty of cooking food near the stairs in front of administration block and eating it along with other students,” a notice issued by Chief Proctor Kaushal Kumar said. The order, dated November 8, added that the act called for a disciplinary action.

The students have been given 10 days to pay the fine. The order also warned them to be careful to not get involved in such incidents in the future.

Former JNU Students’ Union General Secretary Satarupa Chakraborty, who has been fined Rs 10,000, was also punished for leading a protest demonstration and slogan shouting outside the office of the vice chancellor earlier on the same day.

According to The Indian Express, on June 27, the protestors and then student president Mohit Pandey had raised problems faced by the students at the vice chancellor’s office. However, the official allegedly did not meet them, following which the students camped outside the administrative block and cooked a meal, the report added.

“Does a university proctor office run to monitor who cooks and eats biryani in a residential campus like the JNU where such activities are well-cherished practice, part of the culture and helped build up a community bonding among students coming from all across the country,” Chakraborty said, according to PTI.