KYS submits memorandum to Jesus and Mary College over hostel crisis, CCTV surveillance
Synopsis
Days after a building collapse in Satya Niketan killed seven people, student body KYS has taken its hostel-safety campaign to two Delhi University colleges — raising not just accommodation demands but also a rarely-heard allegation: that women students at Jesus and Mary College are being watched through CCTV cameras inside classrooms.
Key Takeaways
Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) submitted a memorandum to Jesus and Mary College principal Molly K.A. on Tuesday, 16 September .
The campaign was launched in the wake of the Satya Niketan building collapse on 6 September , which claimed seven lives .
KYS demanded immediate hostel facilities for needy outstation students across Delhi University.
Students alleged that CCTV cameras are being used to surveil women inside classrooms — a practice KYS called 'unprecedented' and 'anti-women'.
A separate memorandum was also submitted to Maitreyi College principal Haritma Chopra on the same day.
KYS said it will escalate the campaign across DU and other higher education institutions in Delhi.
Student organisation Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) submitted a memorandum to Jesus and Mary College principal Molly K.A. in New Delhi on Tuesday, 16 September 2026, demanding hostel facilities for needy outstation students and raising alarm over alleged CCTV surveillance of women students inside classrooms. The action is part of a wider campaign triggered by the Satya Niketan building collapse on 6 September, which claimed seven lives.
What the Memorandum Demands
Bhim Kumar, member of the KYS Delhi State Committee, said the delegation was led by KYS activists Mudita and Amrita. The group urged the college administration to take immediate, concrete steps toward providing adequate hostel accommodation for outstation students who are currently forced to rely on rented rooms and paying-guest facilities — often in unsafe buildings and insecure neighbourhoods.
The delegation later also met Maitreyi College principal Haritma Chopra and submitted a similar memorandum, signalling that the campaign spans multiple Delhi University (DU) institutions.
CCTV Surveillance Allegation
During the meeting with the Jesus and Mary College principal, students brought to KYS's attention that CCTV cameras are reportedly being used to monitor women students inside classrooms. The organisation called the practice 'unprecedented' and said it 'exists nowhere else in Delhi University.' KYS described the alleged surveillance as an 'anti-women practice' and said it would take the matter up formally with the college administration in the coming days.
The Satya Niketan Collapse and the Hostel Crisis
The Satya Niketan building collapse of 6 September, which killed seven people, has been cited by KYS as a catalyst that exposed a 'much larger and long-standing problem' — the near-absence of hostel facilities in DU colleges. In the lack of campus accommodation, outstation students are routinely compelled to occupy rented accommodation that may not meet basic safety standards.
Women students face a compounded burden, according to the organisation's statement: apart from structurally unsafe buildings, they reportedly encounter 'harassment, arbitrary restrictions and exploitative behaviour from landlords and PG owners' in insecure neighbourhoods.
What KYS Plans Next
The organisation has signalled an escalation. KYS said it will intensify its hostel campaign across Delhi University and other higher education institutions in the capital, and separately pursue the classroom surveillance issue with the Jesus and Mary College administration. The two-pronged push — safety of accommodation and dignity within campuses — positions KYS for a sustained engagement with university authorities in the weeks ahead.
Point of View
Tragic hook to press a demand that predates the disaster by years — the chronic shortage of hostel beds in Delhi University. What is harder to dismiss is the classroom CCTV allegation: if verified, it would represent a serious institutional failure at a women's college, one that raises questions about administrative accountability well beyond hostel policy. The broader pattern — outstation students packed into unsafe PG accommodation because colleges have not invested in residential infrastructure — is a structural problem that university and government authorities have repeatedly deferred. The test is whether this round of memoranda produces commitments, or whether the campaign fades as the news cycle moves on.
NationPress
16 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did KYS submit a memorandum to Jesus and Mary College?
KYS submitted the memorandum on 16 September to demand hostel facilities for needy outstation students, whose lack of safe campus accommodation was highlighted by the Satya Niketan building collapse on 6 September that killed seven people. The organisation also raised an allegation of CCTV surveillance of women students inside classrooms.
What happened in the Satya Niketan building collapse?
A building collapse in the Satya Niketan area of New Delhi on 6 September claimed seven lives. KYS has used the tragedy to spotlight the chronic shortage of hostel facilities at Delhi University colleges, arguing it forces students into unsafe rented accommodation.
What is the CCTV surveillance allegation at Jesus and Mary College?
Students informed KYS during the meeting that CCTV cameras are reportedly being used to monitor women students inside classrooms at Jesus and Mary College. KYS called the alleged practice 'unprecedented' within Delhi University and 'anti-women', and said it would formally pursue the matter with the college administration.
Which colleges were targeted in the KYS campaign on 16 September?
KYS submitted memoranda to the principals of two Delhi University colleges — Jesus and Mary College principal Molly K.A. and Maitreyi College principal Haritma Chopra — both demanding concrete steps on hostel provision for outstation students.
What does KYS plan to do next?
KYS has announced it will intensify its hostel campaign across Delhi University and other higher education institutions in the capital. It will also separately take up the classroom CCTV surveillance issue with the Jesus and Mary College administration in the coming days.
