Patna: The suspicious death of an 18-year-old medical aspirant from Jehanabad in a girls’ hostel in Patna has shaken Bihar’s coaching ecosystem to its core. The incident has triggered outrage, protests and anxiety among parents while exposing the fragile and largely unregulated world of private hostels that sustain the city’s reputation as Bihar’s coaching capital.Every year, thousands of students arrive in Patna to prepare for high-stakes examinations such as NEET and JEE. Areas like Kankarbagh, Rajendra Nagar, Makhania Kuan, Naya Tola, Khazanchi Road and Boring Road are densely packed with private hostels with many operating out of converted residential buildings. Fire safety clearances, structural checks and basic regulatory approvals are often missing, leaving young students — especially girls — vulnerable.As the probe into the student’s death continues, the case has come to symbolise a much deeper crisis. Patna’s coaching boom has undoubtedly created opportunity, but the absence of oversight in student housing has turned that opportunity into a risk-laden gamble.INVISIBLE HOSTELSA striking aspect of the crisis is the lack of official data. Patna DM Thiyagrajan SM admitted the administration does not have information on the total number of hostels in the district. “A survey is underway and a list will be prepared accordingly,” he said.The police situation is no better. Patna SSP Kartikeya K Sharma said the force does not have records of how many private hostels are operating. “We have a list given by the district magistrate’s office for registered hostels, mainly govt-affiliated ones,” he said.Sharma added that police stations encourage tenant verification through prescribed forms, but compliance remains poor. “It is not submitted by all the hostels. The police urge builder associations and landlords in meetings to verify tenants and call for public participation to bridge gaps and improve security,” he said.Periodic inspections are carried out in major hostel zones, particularly during Saraswati Puja and Durga Puja, or based on specific intelligence. “These focus on preventing anti-social activities through resident checks and room searches,” Sharma said, adding that routine student welfare falls under the social welfare department while police intervene only in criminal matters.He also highlighted the Shakti Suraksha Dal, a women-safety initiative of Patna police. “We have two main patrolling teams and several others in different areas, especially near girls’ hostels and coaching centres among other educational institutes,” Sharma said.Even the Patna Municipal Corporation lacks a full picture. PMC officials said they do not have data on all buildings being used as hostels. “As per holding tax collection, there are 3,100 — mostly in Bankipur and new Capital circles — that have registered as hostels and paid property tax accordingly,” PMC spokesperson Priya Saurabh said.“Our teams conduct surveys round the year to ensure buildings used for commercial purposes do not evade tax,” she said, while acknowledging that it is impossible to cover all properties. Officials admitted the actual number of hostels is likely far higher.LIVED REALITIESAcademic Abha Choudhary says outstation students often struggle to adapt. “Patna doesn’t seem unsafe at all. When students deviate from their goal, they often get exposed to exploitation,” she said.Criticising the hostel conditions, she said, “Parents often place children in filthy, overcrowded accommodations out of compulsion due to high costs elsewhere. They live in very dirty conditions… like train seat space.”Choudhary called for urgent govt intervention, including regular inspections, hygiene norms, accountable wardens and age-appropriate segregation. She also questioned the risks of mixed-age hostels, where minors often share spaces with much older residents.Bihar State Women’s Commission chairperson Apsara Kumari said the unchecked mushrooming of private hostels has raised serious alarms. “Complete absence of any state-level rules or regulations governing these accommodations have exposed girls to vulnerability,” she said.“Many girls are crammed into single rooms with no safety protocols, poor hygiene and inadequate security arrangements — often no guards at all,” she added.Calling for uniform state-level guidelines similar to coaching institute registration, she said norms must cover fire safety, sanitation, security and nutrition. “The issue extends beyond the capital to every district,” she said.POLITICAL PRESSUREPurnia MP Pappu Yadav described the situation as a “systemic failure”. He said many girls’ hostels in Patna operate without licences, fail basic safety standards and escape inspections, putting thousands of young students at risk of exploitation and assault.Advocates and social activists have also urged the govt to introduce binding regulations, warning that the hostel crisis has remained ignored despite repeated red flags.OWNERS HITHostel operators, meanwhile, say the backlash has hurt even compliant facilities. Charanjit Chawla, managing director of a girls’ hostel in Naya Tola, said enquiries have nearly stopped. “If it happened at one place then people look at everyone with that perspective,” she said.Kanchan Kumari, who runs a girls’ hostel near Bazaar Samiti, said demand from NEET and JEE candidates remains enormous. “We try to maintain basic facilities, but some students do not follow the rules,” she said, calling for balanced enforcement and cooperation from parents and students alike.
