25 August,2026 10:43 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Congress Legislature Party leader and MLA Vijay Wadettiwar. File Photo
Congress Legislature Party leader and MLA Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday backed tribal students protesting against rules governing Maharashtra's government-run hostels and urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to address their concerns.
Wadettiwar said the students had raised several grievances with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme in Pune, prompting Gandhi to write to Fadnavis and seek his intervention.
"Tribal students had several problems, which they brought to Rahul Gandhi's attention during the Chhatron ki goonj programme. Rahul Gandhi took their concerns very seriously and therefore wrote a letter to the Chief Minister. The students are facing many difficulties, and new rules are being introduced that are adversely affecting them. This is not right," the Congress Legislature Party leader told reporters.
In a post on X, Wadettiwar said many tribal students in Maharashtra had been on hunger strike for more than 10 days while seeking changes to the rules and facilities at government hostels.
"Many tribal students in Maharashtra have been on a hunger strike for more than the past 10 days for their rightful demands. In the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' program in Pune, tribal girl students presented their grievances before Rahul Gandhi ji. The students raised serious questions regarding the unnecessary 30-year age limit in hostels, insulting rules, unsafe facilities, and inhuman conditions like pregnancy checks for women," he said.
"These students, who have come from remote villages and hamlets for education, are not asking the government for any mercy or charity; they are demanding their rights! Rahul Gandhi ji has taken note of these students' questions and urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to meet them personally and resolve the issues immediately. Now, the government should not just give assurances but engage in dialogue with the students, listen to their questions, and deliver justice immediately," the Congress Legislature Party leader said.
Gandhi has also written to Fadnavis, urging him to personally meet the protesting students and resolve their concerns over the rules governing government hostels.
In his letter, Gandhi said tribal students from across Maharashtra had been on hunger strike for more than 10 days. He said students he met in Pune had raised concerns over rules that they believed affected their dignity and access to education.
"Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Ji, numerous tribal students from Maharashtra have been on a hunger strike for more than 10 days to demand their rights. During the 'Chhatron ki Goonj' event in Pune, female students shared that hostels enforce an unnecessary age limit of 30 years, humiliating rules, unsafe facilities, and inhuman provisions such as pregnancy checks for women," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in a post on X.
Gandhi shared a memorandum from the students along with his letter and urged the Chief Minister to meet them and resolve their problems at the earliest.
Gandhi said many tribal students from remote villages depend on government hostels to pursue their education in cities. He alleged that the 30-year age restriction could exclude students who are still completing their studies or preparing for examinations.
"Many Adivasi students come from remote villages and depend on government hostels to study in the cities. A new rule bars anyone over 30 from these hostels, excluding many who are still completing their studies or preparing for exams. Hostels are unsafe and often lack food, sanitation and medical care. Students have suffered injuries and deaths, including from snake bites. Facilities for women are worse still," he alleged in his letter.
Wadettiwar echoed these concerns, saying the students had raised questions about the safety and functioning of hostels and the impact of new rules on their education.
The Congress leaders also raised concerns over alleged medical requirements for female students returning to hostels after an extended absence.
"I was shocked to learn that female students returning after an extended absence must undergo pregnancy tests and a range of other medical tests to prove their 'fitness'. It is a humiliation that presumes them guilty until they prove otherwise. This rule is an attack on their dignity and their humanity," Gandhi said.
The allegations have added to the students' demands for a review of hostel rules and improvements in accommodation, food, sanitation and medical facilities.
Wadettiwar said the government should not limit its response to assurances but should hold discussions directly with the students and their representatives.
The Congress leader said students who have travelled from remote villages and hamlets to pursue education should not have to compromise their dignity or safety to access government accommodation.
Gandhi also emphasised that the students were not seeking charity but access to facilities and support they were entitled to receive.
"These students, coming from remote villages and towns, are not asking for charity -- they are demanding their rightful entitlements. It is expected that you will meet them personally and immediately resolve their issues," Gandhi said.
The Congress leaders have now called on the Maharashtra government to meet the protesting students, examine their complaints about hostel rules and facilities, and take steps to resolve the issues as the hunger strike continues.
