In 2014 a brutal racial assault on an Arunachal Pradesh student in Delhi sparked nationwide protests and prompted the government to examine the challenges faced by people from the Northeast studying elsewhere. A panel recommended a dedicated residential facility at Jawaharlal Nehru University as part of its safety measures.
The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) later agreed to fund the project with an allocation of ₹28.30 crore, earmarking 75 percent of the 500‑room Barak Hostel for Northeastern students and the remaining 25 percent for others. Foundation stone was laid in July 2017 and the building was completed in 2024, though it remained vacant for a year due to staffing shortages before its virtual inauguration by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in April 2025.
As of August 2026 the hostel accommodates 420 students, but only 53 – roughly 12 percent – are from the Northeast, far below the original 75‑percent reservation. The North East Students’ Forum (NESF) has repeatedly pressed the university for clarification, filing RTI requests and staging protests after Vice‑Chancellor Santishree D. Pandit reportedly said there would be no reservation for Northeastern students.
Students also report severe infrastructure decay: peeling plaster, water‑logged balconies, broken doors and toilet seats, inadequate Wi‑Fi and the absence of a mess facility. An RTI reply indicated that JNU had sought ₹2.15 crore annual funding and a one‑time ₹50 lakh grant from the Ministry of Education to run the mess, but no clear sanction has been confirmed. A separate request for ₹2.69 crore to install Wi‑Fi was rejected by DoNER despite a monitoring committee’s recommendation.
The NESF’s latest representation to the Ministry of Home Affairs highlights continued violations of the 75:25 seat allocation, instances of rooms being given to non‑students, and the unresolved mess, Wi‑Fi, sanitation and maintenance problems. JNU has not responded to inquiries from The Hindu, leaving the status of funding and remedial actions unclear.
