Patna University (PU) reclaimed Saidpur hostel on Wednesday evening after the police removed security personnel who were illegally occupying the place for the past decade.

The district administration carried out an eviction drive after Patna High Court pulled up the state government and issue a directive asking it to remove illegal boarders from PU’s hostels. On Tuesday, Patna High Court advocate general Lalit Kishor had assured the bench of Chief Justice Mukesh R. Shah and Justice Ashutosh Kumar that the personnel occupying rooms at the Saidpur hostel will be removed by Tuesday evening. Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj was to monitor the drive, but the drive could not commence on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, a team comprising district administration and varsity officials visited the Saidpur hostel premises with the court directive. Security personnel who had parked themselves at the hostel began leaving the premises from Wednesday afternoon. The campus was liberated by Wednesday evening when Patna University vice-chancellor Rash Bihari Prasad Singh, proctor G.K. Palai and dean (students’ welfare) N.K. Jha visited the premises and locked the rooms the personnel had once occupied.

“The hostels will be in the varsity’s possession now,” Palai said. “Security personnel will be deployed so that outsiders are stopped from entering the premises.” Around 10 years back, then vice-chancellor Y.C. Simhadri had allotted the premises to security personnel as part of a security arrangement. They were allotted rooms for a temporary period but the personnel occupied the rooms and would not leave despite frequent reminders from the varsity administration.

The court issued the eviction order after hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by social activist Vikash Chandra, a.k.a. Guddu Baba.

The varsity administration has planned to develop Saidpur hostel as South Campus of Patna University.

Patna University dean students’ welfare (DSW), N.K. Jha said: “Vanijya Mahavidhyala will be shifted to Saidpur campus. Many other institutions such as Directorate of Distance Education (DDE), applied economics and commerce, management department, and academic staff college building will be shifted to the Saidpur campus.”