Jamia students link hostel evictions to protests over mess food

For several women students of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), hostel accommodation has become a point of conflict with the university administration, with at least five students receiving eviction notices since mid-September. 

Students have alleged that the evictions are linked to protests that began on September 10 over the quality of food served in hostel mess. The university has denied the charge, saying the students were asked to vacate for failing to meet the minimum marks criterion for hostel accommodation. 

One of the students said she was forcibly evicted, while another left after receiving the notice. Habeeba, a third-year student, has moved the Delhi High Court challenging the eviction notices and seeking restoration of her hostel accommodation. During the hearing on Monday, the university told the court that there were no vacancies in the hostels and that she did not qualify on merit. According to Habeeba’s lawyer, the university has been asked to consider granting her hostel accommodation. 

The evictions also triggered a protest on September 28, following which another student was temporarily suspended from classes and issued a show-cause notice for protesting outside the “designated protest site”. No further protests have been held since. 

‘Forcible evictions’  

According to students, two women received notices asking them to vacate their hostels on September 18 while three others received similar notices on September 30. 

Habeeba, a member of the Disha Students’ Organisation, said her hostel accommodation had been renewed and she had paid the fees in July. The eviction notice issued to her in September stated that she had failed to secure the required 55% marks in the previous semester. 

She said her marks had been low in the previous semester because of an illness and that she had informed the administration about it. Her hostel fee has not yet been refunded, and she has been asked to submit an application seeking a refund. 

Habeeba alleged that she was “forcibly removed” from the hostel on September 25. “My roommate had been informed the previous day to move to another room as they were going to seal my room,” she said. “My belongings were put into garbage bags and taken out of the room. The security guards dragged and manhandled me.” 

The university, however, denied the allegation of manhandling. 

Her petition states that she lives “about 1,560 km from her home, with no family in Delhi-NCR. The University hostel is not a convenience; her studies and her safety depend on it.“ 

‘Routine practice’  

A university spokesperson said the evictions are part of the annual process carried out under hostel rules. “They had less than 55% and so they were asked to leave as per the established guidelines. Hostels are scarce and this is a fair merit-based system,” the spokesperson said. 

Students, however, alleged that several others with marks below 55% had not been asked to vacate their hostels. The administration denied the claim.