According to its student organisation’s statement, water supply in portions of two hostel blocks had allegedly been shut offOn Thursday night last week, students of the University Hostel for Women gathered outside the premises and on nearby campus roads, alleging that the Delhi University administration had attempted to force residents to vacate despite hostel fees being paid in advance for June and July.The protest, which began at 9.30 pm and continued past midnight, also saw students complaining of water shortages and penalty charges. Eventually, the administration negotiated with residents and the eviction order was later overturned.Speaking to The Indian Express, Delhi University Proctor Manoj Kumar said: “We have a university rule which states that students should vacate the hostel after one week of the completion of the examination… which is why students protested. Now, after a dialogue with the students, we have said they can stay until June. The students said they paid the fee up to June so why should we vacate.”Several students were still appearing for semester examinations. Others staying at the hostel were preparing for the Re-National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (ReNEET) which is to be held on June 21 after the original May 3 exam was cancelled over paper leak allegations.In a statement, the All India Students’ Association accused the hostel administration of carrying out a “forced eviction drive” and alleged that residents had been “pushed to the brink” over the past week through disruptions of basic facilities.According to its student organisation’s statement, water supply in portions of two hostel blocks had allegedly been shut off, while chairs in the reading room were removed, affecting students studying late into the night during examination season.“This institutional apathy has crossed all limits of human dignity,” the organisation said.Story continues below this adThe protest, students said, was not triggered by a single night’s dispute but by mounting frustration that had been building for days. Students claimed that after an earlier mobilisation on May 16, the hostel Provost had verbally assured students that facilities would be restored and the deadline for vacating rooms would be extended.However, they alleged that the administration later “backtracked” and imposed a “punitive extortion order”, asking students who continued to stay in the hostel to pay Rs 50 per day.For many residents, the dispute centred on a simple question: if hostel fees had already been collected for the coming months, why should students leave immediately after examinations?It boiled over on Thursday night, with students sitting on roads outside the hostel long after midnight, chanting slogans and demanding written assurances from the administration.Story continues below this adAISA, meanwhile, has demanded the immediate resignation of the UHW Provost, restoration of uninterrupted water supply and an unconditional extension of hostel residency without financial penalties.Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. 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Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd