Frustration boiled over Tuesday night at Dayanand Sagar University's Harohalli campus, where hundreds of students staged a vocal protest against what they describe as persistently unlivable conditions in their hostel facilities. After weeks of complaints went unanswered, students gathered to demand action from university administrators.

Key facts

  • Protest occurred Tuesday night at S-Residences Hostel
  • Over 5,000 engineering and medical students affected
  • Students pay ₹2.45 lakh annually in hostel fees
  • Previous protest held August 26 with 5-day resolution promise

Mounting Frustration Over Basic Needs

For nearly a month, students have raised concerns about deteriorating conditions that impact their daily lives and studies. The list of grievances is substantial: non-functional Wi-Fi hindering academic work, lack of hot water for bathing, poor quality drinking water that students say causes sore throats, irregular cleaning, mosquito infestations, malfunctioning elevators, and empty food vending machines.

"We pay ₹2.45 lakh annually towards hostel fees," one student explained, the frustration palpable in their words. "The drinking water is chlorinated, which causes sore throat. After paying hefty fees, they expect us to purchase drinking water from shops."

Broken Promises and Delayed Solutions

The Tuesday night protest wasn't the first time students voiced their concerns. They had previously demonstrated on August 26, after which university administrators promised to resolve all issues within five days. That deadline passed on August 31 without meaningful improvement.

Students reported repeatedly bringing these issues to hostel authorities and university administration, only to see conditions remain unchanged. The pattern of reporting problems without seeing solutions ultimately pushed students to take more visible action.

"I agree issues were reported by the students regarding electricity, Wi-Fi, and water, which are being resolved," said Vice-Chancellor B.S. Satyanarayana when contacted by The Hindu. "The university has provision for providing clean RO water to the students. There was plumbing issues and they are being resolved now."

Administration Response and Path Forward

While university leadership acknowledges some of the problems, students remain skeptical about the timeline for actual improvements. The Vice-Chancellor's statement suggests awareness of the electrical, Wi-Fi, and water issues, but students await concrete action rather than promises.

With more than 5,000 students across both boys and girls hostels affected, the scale of the problem demands comprehensive solutions. For students pursuing demanding engineering and medical courses, these basic facility failures create unnecessary obstacles to their education.