After hunger strike, UoH decides against forcefully shifting students from hostels during vacations 

The University of Hyderabad students went on a hunger strike on Monday to protest the administration's decision to forcefully shift students from one hostel to another during the vacation period. For the last few weeks, the students have been trying to convince the hostel wardens that it is unfair that the students have to move to another room just for these 40 days when they have been in the same room for years together. After a hastened meeting, the wardens have now asked the students to move "voluntarily".

From last year, the administration has been bringing in hostel rules that have adversely affected the students. Till last year, the students were allowed to stay in hostel through the year and were provided with all the required facilities for the same. Most students who are pursuing their PhDs or are working on a project have preferred to stay on campus because of the library and have had no issues up until last year when the administration suddenly issued a notice saying that the hostels would be shut during the vacations. Those who insisted on staying back on campus were slapped with a fee. 

"There is no other campus in the country that will ask its students to pay extra fees for choosing to stay back on campus in order to work. The first time when this vacation fee was proposed, the students had vehemently opposed it but this year we were all forced to pay," said a member of the Student Union. However, despite paying the fees the students are still being asked to move to another hostel building in order to "save water and electricity". "These things haven't been problems before but now suddenly they're cropping up just because they want to make the atmosphere hostile for students. Especially when we are paying extra fees what gives them the right to evict us from our own room?" questioned the student.

"Even if they wanted us to shift to a different wing in the same hostel, it's acceptable but for us to take all our things to a whole new hostel is unreasonable," the member said. The students add that even if this was a decision that was in the offing, it should have been up for debate and discussion with the students. Since the administration was showing no sign of hearing the students out, they went on a hunger strike on Monday, only after which the administration called the students in for a meeting.

"The administration said that they would not forcefully ask any student to leave and the students can leave on a voluntary basis. We've taken their word for now, " a Student Union member said. In case, the administration goes back on their word, the students said that would figure out the next steps to take in this regard.