After months of complaints over alleged water shortage, power cuts and overcrowding in hostels, students of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) staged a protest on campus on May 12 night around 10 p.m. They alleged that repeated complaints to the administration have gone largely unaddressed. 

Student protest at NLSIU Bengaluru

Students of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) listing the problems they have been facing in the campus in Bengaluru, during a protest on May 12,  2026. They alleged that repeated complaints to the administration have gone largely unaddressed.  | Video Credit: The Hindu

Students told The Hindu that the protest was not triggered by a sudden disruption, but by ‘frustration over long-pending issues’ that have shown little improvement despite being flagged multiple times.

A common concern raised by students was irregular water supply in hostels. They said taps, flushes and jet sprays usually stop working abruptly, while water coolers do not dispense drinking water at times. There have also been instances of unclean water supply, they alleged. Students said the problem becomes especially difficult during summer, more so in crowded hostel rooms. 

Students also alleged overcrowding, particularly in women’s hostels. A final-year student said that while men’s hostels have 18 bunk beds, women’s hostels have 93. In some hostel blocks, they said, 36 women are sharing three toilets.  

Safety concerns over ongoing construction on campus were also highlighted during the protest. Students said that academic activities are being carried out amid construction despite inadequate safeguards. They mentioned a recent incident in which heavy cement slabs fell in a commonly used area, though no one was injured. In another incident, they alleged free fall of a lift in one of the men’s hostels from the second floor to the basement. Two students were in the lift at the time of the incident. 

When these issues were taken up with the administration, the students claimed, authorities responded that solutions cannot be provided overnight. 

Students questioned the state of hostel infrastructure despite the fees charged by the university. They said annual fees range between ₹4.5 lakh and ₹5 lakh, with more than ₹1.2 lakh going towards hostel accommodation.

“The academic pressure is already intense. The least students expect is basic facilities,” a student said, adding that the issue is not just about inconvenience, but about dignity and basic living conditions, particularly when there is no reliable access to water. 

Authorities in the university were not available for comment.