NE students allege betrayal over Barak hostel allotment in JNU

Mai Dol

New Delhi, Apr 9: Students from the Northeast in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) are protesting after only 5 out of 88 students in the newly released Barak Hostel allotment list are from the Northeast. This goes against what they say was a promise to reserve 75% of the seats for students from the region.

The Barak Hostel was built using funds from the North Eastern Council (NEC), under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER). It was meant to be a safe and welcoming space for Northeast students, who often face racism and cultural isolation in Delhi. The name “Barak” comes from the Barak River, which flows through Mizoram, Manipur, and Assam.

Students say that the Dean of Students (DoS) had earlier promised that no list would be released before a meeting with NEC, DoNER, NESF, and the JNU administration. But the list came out before such a meeting took place.

The demand for a special hostel for Northeast students began in 2013. After the 2014 death of Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh who was killed in a racist attack in Delhi, the call for a safe space grew stronger. In 2017, the foundation stone for Barak Hostel was laid, and in August 2024, DoNER clearly stated that 75% of the rooms should go to Northeast students. NESF says this was part of a formal agreement.

However, the vice-chancellor, Prof Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, has denied that any such agreement exists. During the April 7 inauguration, she said, “We cannot reserve any hostel… JNU follows the Constitution of India… no separation of identity on this campus.”

NESF agrees that all students need housing, but says Barak Hostel was not built as a general hostel. “It was meant to be a safe, cultural space for us,” said an NESF member. In the past, there were even issues with serving Northeast food in mess halls, which NESF says is part of a larger problem of exclusion.

On April 9, NESF held another protest at the Sabarmati Hostel lawn. They said the Vice Chancellor had not changed her stand. A few more meetings are expected.

During the protest, a student from Nagaland asked the Dean of Students about the issue. She responded that a meeting involving NESF and the ministries would happen within this week.

NESF is still waiting for that meeting and says they will continue their protest until there is a clear resolution.