A fire broke out in a room at the girls hostel of Government Medical College in Rajanna Sircilla on Wednesday morning, damaging the belongings of two students.

According to officials, the incident occurred at around 10 a.m. while students were attending classes. Fire department personnel rushed to the spot after being alerted, and brought the situation under control. No injuries were reported.

Following the incident, student representatives and medical student groups alleged that the temporary hostel facilities were overcrowded and unsafe. They claimed that the hostel was functioning from a rented building located away from the campus, where several students were allegedly being accommodated in congested rooms with inadequate facilities.

In a statement issued after the incident, the students said the fire exposed the pathetic and unsafe living conditions in temporary hostel facilities being used for medical students. They alleged that 10 to 15 girl students were being accommodated in single rooms under unhygienic and overcrowded conditions without adequate privacy or safety measures.

Responding to the incident, Director of Medical Education (DME) Dr. A. Narendra Kumar said preliminary findings suggested that the fire may have been caused after a student left a lit prayer lamp unattended in the room along with a mobile charger plugged into a socket.

“A fire broke out in a room within the girls’ hostel at GMC Rajanna Sircilla. Two female students reside in this room. One of the students had performed her morning prayers and left the room, leaving the lit lamp unattended. She also left a mobile charger plugged into the socket. Preliminary findings indicate that these factors were the cause of the fire,” the DME said.