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Around 200 women who had been residing in Delhi University’s largest women’s hostel for the last few months are agitating about being directed to vacate their rooms during exams and after the new academic session began.
Rajiv Gandhi Hostel for Girls is a 772-seater hostel for postgraduate and research scholars, located at DU’s North Campus. Over the last few weeks, students who had been residing in the hostel on a guest basis after the university campus compulsorily reopened for all students this February have received multiple communications from the hostel authorities asking them to vacate rooms in anticipation of admitting students as “regular residents” in the new academic session.
According to one of the residents, students who had rushed to Delhi had been admitted to the hostel as “guest students” as part of which they were made to sign an undertaking which permitted them to stay for two months, and that they would vacate when asked to. “Since classes continued, the hostel itself extended the guest stay. Now in August, when students were winding up their exams and were about to start the next academic year for which most students had little to no break, the pressure started. Students have classes, they need a place to study, where will they go?” said the resident. The new academic year for postgraduate students started August-end.
On August 22, residents got an email from the provost stating, “This is to inform you that the hostel is considering initiating admission in regular mode from the forthcoming academic session. Therefore, the hostel would require the rooms to be vacant, to prepare for the upcoming regular admissions. In view of the admission process, you are directed to vacate the hostel within fifteen days of the receipt of this email or one week from the date of the last exam of this semester, whichever is earlier.”
In response, students approached the Delhi Commission for Women with a complaint against “forcible removal”, while another notice reiterating the direction to vacate was issued on August 25.
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On August 31, hostel authorities told them that they would be charged a higher rate per day for not vacating. “…you have neither vacated nor informed the hostel about the date of vacating. From September 1, 2022, you will be charged as per the rules, that is, Rs 200 per day. However, it may also be noted that if you do not get admission on a regular basis at the time of release of the first list, you will have to vacate the hostel within ten days.”
Hostel provost Poonam Silotia did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment.
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