Students of different colleges on Thursday staged a silent demonstration at Albert Ekka chowk with holding banners and posters, demanding a waiver on hostel fees during the lockdown.

Over a dozen students, with masks on their faces, stood at the Albert Ekka roundabout for three hours with the posters to draw the government’s attention. The demonstrators alleged that several students, who live in hostels and lodges here, are being asked for rent though many were stuck at their homes before the imposition of lockdown in March.

Jamal Gaddi, the president of the Marwari College Students Union, said, “A majority of students come to Ranchi from remote areas to pursue their studies, living in hostels and lodges. The lockdown has robbed many persons of their livelihood and it is difficult for poor students to pay rent. We request the government to intervene and help the students by waiving at least 70 per cent rent.”

He added that they had approached the Ranchi district administration as well as the state human resource development department for help but haven’t received any assurance so far.

Aman Kumar, a BCom final year student of Doranda College, alleged that many of his friends, including female students, were being threatened by hostel and lodge owners to pay rent or face confiscation of their valuables.

Kumar said, “Many students were in their hometowns and were not staying in the hostels since March end due to the lockdown. Now, they are getting messages from their hostel owners to transfer the entire three-months rent online otherwise all their valuables in their rooms will be confiscated.”

Kishore Kumar, a first year student of political science at Marwari College, demanded that the district administration and state government should immediately intervene to help out thousands of students.

“When the state government can waive off school bus fees, and other charges, why can’t they do so for hostels and lodges? Why should students pay the entire rent when they haven’t used facilities like water, electricity, mess and others of their respective hostel/lodges?” he asked.

Roughly, around 2,000 lodges/hostels exist in Ranchi, many of which have mushroomed to cater to the large influx of students who come here annually from different districts to pursue higher studies and prepare for competitive exams.