Ering for fair hostel allotment to NE students in JNU
NEW DELHI/ITANAGAR, 13 Apr: Amid demands for reserving seats in the newly inaugurated Barak Hostel, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has clarified that no hostel is reserved based on region or culture but priority is being given to students from the Northeast in line with official directives.
The university said the hostel allotment process began on 8 April in a phased manner and “priority have been given to the Northeast students in Barak Hostel.” It, however, emphasised the existing policy would continue to be followed for all accommodations, including Barak Hostel.
“This is brought to the kind notice and information to all the concerned stakeholders… The Barak Hostel was opened officially for allotment of JNU students on 7 April,” the university said in a circular, referring to the inter-university (INU) agreement and the government-funded Barak Hostel project.
“Presently, all northeastern students are residing at all JNU hostels. No hostel is reserved based on a specific region or culture in JNU,” the circular read.
Reaffirming its commitment to maintaining diversity and inclusivity, JNU underlined that it is a “central university which promotes and maintains social integrity, multiculturalism, inclusivity and diversity on the campus.”
Citing the office memorandum from the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Ministry, dated 10 October, 2023, JNU said it was directed that the facility “should be put to use by INU without delay and priority shall be given to Northeast students.”
“The same matrix of allotment will be followed for Barak Hostel,” it said, adding that the hostel manual emphasises enabling students from different parts of the country to live together and build mutual cooperation and goodwill.
The response came days after the North East Students’ Forum (NESF) staged a silent protest during the hostel’s inauguration, demanding that 75 percent of the seats in Barak Hostel be reserved for students from the eight northeastern states.
The NESF alleged that only five out of 88 seats in the first allotment list were given to northeastern students despite assurances made during the hostel’s construction. The forum said that the hostel was meant to serve as a culturally sensitive and secure space for students from the region.
While the university reiterated that it is giving priority to students from the Northeast as per official instructions, some JNU students have opposed any formal reservation policy in hostels, arguing that it would undermine the inclusive ethos of the campus.
In response, the NESF clarified it is not seeking full reservation, but the fulfilment of assurances made in official communications.
“The demand for reservation of seats in this hostel is not a form of forced segregation but to promote representation and safety,” the forum said.
Barak Hostel, a five-storey building with 228 rooms and a capacity for 446 students, was funded by the North Eastern Council and the DoNER Ministry. Though inaugurated in February 2024 by union Home Minister Amit Shah, the hostel was made functional in April.
Meanwhile, Pasighat West MLA Ninong Ering has appealed to Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia to intervene and initiate a dialogue with the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration to ensure implementation of fair and transparent hostel allotment process that stays true to the original intent behind the Barak Hostel.
In a letter to the DoNER minister, Ering, who is also a former union minister, on Saturday said that the Barak Hostel, which was established with support from the North Eastern Council, was intended to offer preferential accommodation to students from the Northeast.
“Unfortunately, a departure from the originally proposed framework has resulted in the exclusion of several students for whom this facility was specifically created,” Ering said in his letter.
Drawing the attention of the DoNER minister towards the pressing concern regarding students from the northeastern region studying at JNU, the MLA said that “the university has fallen short of implementing a transparent and equitable system for allotment of seats in the Barak Hostel, leaving many students from marginalised communities in the region disheartened and overlooked.
Ering urged the DoNER minister to initiate immediate steps to address and resolve the grievances raised by the affected students, and to establish a long-term monitoring mechanism to prevent such discrepancies in future policies concerning marginalised student communities.
“For decades, students from the Northeast have faced challenges of underrepresentation in educational spaces, and incidents like this only serve to deepen that gap. I trust that your office will take appropriate measures to ensure that the values of equality and inclusion are preserved in our higher education institutions,” the letter read.
A copy of the letter was submitted to union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. (PTI/Source)
