The Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) has demanded an end to the “forced rent extraction from coronavirus pandemic-stricken students” on Friday, May 22, 2020.
The Students’ Union received multiple requests for help from the students, who were being coerced by owners of their paying guest facilities. Following these requests, DUSU office-bearers appealed to owners to stop harassing and badgering into the lives of student tenants for rent and ensure the safety of their belongings.
The union further appealed to all flat landlords and PG owners to “refrain from such high-handed demands and involuntary extraction of monthly rentals.” Pradeep Tanwar, Vice-President of Delhi University Students’ Union, said, “We held multiple conversations with the PG and flat owners of Kamala Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, and other areas where a sizeable proportion of Delhi University’s day scholars reside. We have sized up the matter and are continuously monitoring the situation. We will not allow any forced extraction of rent from the pandemic-stricken students. We will also make sure that the belongings of students, who left the national capital in haste, are also well taken care of by the owners of the rented accommodations,” the Hindu reported.
Earlier, on this issue, after students have complained that they are being threatened to pay rent even during the lockdown when they are not staying there, the Student Tenants’ Union Delhi (STUD), a student-led group formed for and by students living in rented accommodations in Delhi, also called for an online protest on Twitter on May 19 with hashtags #NoRentFromStudents and #NoIncomeNoRent.
