Visva-Bharati asked its students, including those from abroad, to vacate its hostels on Tuesday, prompting many to question the order amid the pandemic.

Around 70 students are stuck in hostels since the March lockdown, many from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Venezuela, as well as from Kerala , Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

A varsity official said they issued the order to identify boarders who “genuinely don’t have the option to return home”.