The Patna College administration, in an apparent flip-flop, on Tuesday decided to make fresh allotment in its four hostels. On Monday, it had asked all boarders to vacate the premises in the next 36 hours.

The change in decision was prompted by an assurance from members of Patna University Students Union (Pusu). Patna College principal Rash Bihari Prasad Singh said: “Pusu members have given a written assurance that there would be no more clashes in the hostels. On its basis, the college administration has decided to withdraw its earlier decision of getting the hostels vacated.”

On Tuesday, a Pusu delegation led by its president, Ashish Sinha, met the principal, requesting the administration not to get the hostel boarders vacated.

The principal said: “With the fresh allotment of hostel seats to boarders, the college would have to list the legitimate boarders living in the hostels. Those living illegally would be asked to vacate the hostel. The college would seek police intervention in the matter.

Vijay Kumar Vineet, the Pusu counsellor for Patna College, who was also present at the meeting, said: “The Pusu members have assured the college administration that there would be no more clashes in future.”

“To maintain law and order, each hostel would have a five-member committee comprising three third-year graduation students and one each from the first and second years,” added Vineet. The committee would urge boarders not to indulge in anti-academic activities.

On Monday, the Patna College administration had issued a notification, asking the boarders of all four hostels to vacate the premises within the next 36 hours.

The college had issued the strict notification following a violent clash between inmates of Minto and Jackson hostels last Saturday in which several students were injured.

According to the notification, the boarders were supposed to vacate the hostel latest by 7am on Wednesday, failing which they would have been evicted by the police. The hostels under Patna College are Minto, Jackson, New and Iqbal which accommodate around 300 boarders.

Anurag Sharma, a boarder of one of the Patna College hostels, said: “The college administration’s directive was strict and had the boarders been asked to vacate the hostel, even genuine boarders staying in the hostels would have had to pay the price.” Sharma further said other students too had to pay the price for the nuisance created by some of their peers.