Campus Times | Lucknow 

A steep hike in hostel charges at the University of Lucknow has triggered protests among students, with a group of residents staging a demonstration outside the Vice-Chancellors office on Tuesday.

Students alleged that the annual fee for the Prof. Ranveer Singh Bisht Hostel has been increased from around ₹5,400 to ₹27,250 for the 2025-26 academic session. Describing the revision as an excessive financial burden, the protesters demanded that the university immediately withdraw the enhanced fee.

Students associated with NSUI, including Shivam, Vedant Shukla, Dipendra Singh Rajput, Yashpal, Ritesh, Trilochan, Aditya and Ayush, claimed that the revised charges were introduced without giving students prior information.

They said the sharp increase could particularly affect students from economically weaker backgrounds, as families would have to arrange significantly higher amounts for accommodation in addition to other educational expenses.

University cites renovation and long-pending revision

During the protest, Proctor Dr Rakesh Dwivedi and Dean of the Students Welfare Council Amita Kanojia attempted to pacify the students. University officials said the hostel had remained in a poor condition for several years and that renovation work had been undertaken to improve its facilities.

Kanojia said new furniture and beds had been arranged as part of the renovation. However, students challenged the claim, saying that the promised furniture and beds had not yet been provided to them.

The proctor subsequently told the students that the furniture was expected to arrive soon. The assurance, however, failed to end the protest, with students continuing to raise slogans against the university administration.

The protesting students later met the Vice-Chancellor and submitted a memorandum seeking withdrawal of the revised hostel charges.

Other university hostels also see revised charges

University spokesperson Prof Mukul Srivastava said the fee revision was not limited to the Prof. Ranveer Singh Bisht Hostel and that hostel charges had been revised following renovation work.

According to the university, the annual fee for the Prof. Ranveer Singh Bisht Hostel has been fixed at ₹27,250, while the charges for Lavanya and Ganga hostels stand at ₹30,325.

Hostel fees had not been revised for several years and have now been increased after renovation, Srivastava said.

The protest saw the participation of several other students, including Prabhat Raj Yadav, Shubham Kharwar, Aditya Pandey, Akshay Pradhan and Akshat.