UoH student body alleges moral policing by warden

The university authorities said the flying squad during a raid of hostels found prohibited electrical appliances and unauthorised persons in a hostel room and a student was fined ₹30,000 for the violation

Leaders of Students’ Federation of India at University of Hyderabad here on Tuesday (November 19) alleged ‘moral policing’ and hefty fines by the chief warden, reportedly for operating electric appliances in hostel rooms.

The student body reported that chief warden Suvashisa Rana directed a flying squad to enter hostel rooms. They alleged that hostel rooms were targeted based on the occupants who raised their voice about basic hostel issues such as increase in mess basic fee and decline in food quality and lack of other amenities, among others.

“To cover up his failures, the chief warden is adopting diversionary tactics. We had been demanding mess and hostel committees for resolution at local level. The other demands have also been common kitchens and hot water dispensers,” they said.

The flying squad reportedly barged into the hostel room while shooting the video on their cellphones when the students were not fully dressed. Students were imposed fines ranging between ₹10,000 and ₹30,000 for possessing electric kettles, they said.

However, the university administration, when contacted for its version, gave more details.

According to the flying squad/chief warden, the said student was not only found “using prohibited electrical devices” in the hostel room, but also the student was found to be “harboring unauthorised persons, consuming banned substances, cooking food inside the hostel room”, all violations as per UoH Hostel Rules & Regulations, 2019. The said student was penalised with a fine of ₹30,000.

The notice to the students found violating the prescribed rules also goes with a warning: “In case the same act is repeated in the future, you shall be evicted from the hostel forthwith, along with a fine/penalty of thrice the amount mentioned above, without any prior notice.“

Published - November 19, 2024 08:36 pm IST