After months of complaining about alleged water shortage, power cuts and overcrowding in hostels, students of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) staged a protest in the campus in Bengaluru on May 12 night around 10 p.m. They alleged that repeated complaints to the administration have gone largely unaddressed. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The students first staged a protest on Tuesday (May 12) night around 10 p.m. at the university’s basketball court. They protested again on Wednesday afternoon from 1 p.m. at the professors’ mess, and later at 3 p.m. at the amphitheatre, alleging that repeated concerns raised with the administration have largely gone unaddressed.
Students told The Hindu that the protest was not triggered by a sudden disruption, but by “frustration over long-pending issues” that have shown little improvement despite being flagged multiple times.
A common concern raised by students was the irregular water supply in hostels. They said taps, flushes and jet sprays usually stop working abruptly, while water coolers do not dispense drinking water at times. There have also been instances of unclean water supply, they alleged. Students said the problem becomes especially difficult during the summer, more so in crowded hostel rooms.
Students also alleged overcrowding, particularly in women’s hostels. A final-year student said that while men’s hostels have 18 bunk beds, women’s hostels have 93. In some hostel blocks, they said, 36 women are sharing three toilets.
“There has been a continuing range of residence life issues, particularly concerning the Women’s Hostel, the latest being the complete lack of water supply in the hostel for multiple hours and erratic supply for multiple days,” a final year student said, adding that despite the university being one of the premier institutions, students are forced to live in inhumane conditions with concerns being unheard for months with no concrete measures being undertaken.
“We are prepared to continue the protest until the Vice Chancellor meets the students and provides concrete, student-friendly solutions to the issues faced by them,” students said.
The students told that the Registrar and the Vice Chancellor had visited them at around 4 p.m., but did not speak to them, only heard their concerns and left shortly.
Safety concerns over ongoing construction on campus were also highlighted during the protest. Students said that academic activities are being carried out amid construction despite inadequate safeguards. They mentioned a recent incident in which heavy cement slabs fell in a commonly used area, though no one was injured. In another incident, they alleged free fall of a lift in one of the men’s hostels from the second floor to the basement. Two students were in the lift at the time of the incident.
When these issues were taken up with the administration, the students claimed that the authorities responded that solutions cannot be provided overnight.
Students questioned the state of hostel infrastructure despite the fees charged by the university. They said annual fees range between ₹4.5 lakh and ₹5 lakh, with more than ₹1.2 lakh going towards hostel accommodation.
“The academic pressure is already intense. The least students expect is basic facilities,” a student said, adding that the issue is not just about inconvenience, but about dignity and basic living conditions, particularly when there is no reliable access to water.
The university, despite repeated attempts to reach it over phone calls and email, was not available for comment.
Water shortage, hostel overcrowding trigger student protest at NLSIU campus in Bengaluru
After months of complaints over alleged water shortage, power cuts and overcrowding in hostels, students of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) staged a protest on campus on May 12 night around 10 p.m. They alleged that repeated complaints to the administration have gone largely unaddressed. | Video Credit: The Hindu
Published – May 13, 2026 11:11 am IST
