Some of the best minds the state has produced have lived in the hostels of Patna University (PU). But those who live there today could have come from another planet.

Anjani Kumar Singh, now chief secretary, lived and studied in one of the hostels of Patna College. Another notable former inmate is IPS officer Rajyavardhan Sharma, who retired as additional director-general (headquarters) three years ago. Today, these hostels have turned into dens where people with shady backgrounds live illegally. Their credentials are such that the PU administration feels 'terrorised' and is unable to take action against them, fearing a violent backlash.

No less than the university's vice-chancellor himself said last week he was unable to put things back on track. Sources in the PU administration accept taking any action would invite the wrath of politicians, as most illegal boarders were affiliated to various political parties or even active party workers.

Clashes and fights at the hostels are becoming a common affair. In the absence of action the illegal boarders are gaining in strength with each passing day.

'Who are you?'

The Telegraph tried to take a stride amid the dilapidated buildings called Saidpur Hostel on Monday. But it was stopped by a youth, must be in his late 20s, who looked angry and suspicious. 'Who are you and what are you doing here? I am sure you are not a student,' he asks, checking for any bulge somewhere, maybe a camera hidden inside a jacket pocket.

Convinced there is none, he says: 'You go and wait for me near that betel shop. I cannot take you to the room under any circumstances.'

The youth refused to reveal his identity. He immediately got talking about the attack on Shivam, shot dead by unknown people at Saidpur's hostel number-9 on January 11.

'It was a shocking incident but the fact is everybody just gives Saidpur Hostel a bad name all the time. Be it university authorities, other hostels or the police, they just point at us whenever anything goes wrong. Yes, a few outsiders, too, live among us. But we have allowed them because they are poor people who cannot afford to stay in lodges. Then, there are some old students who have decided to stay on and carry their education forward. We are open-minded when it comes to Bhumihars (a caste) boys. It is an old tradition here. We boys do not want people of other castes to stay here. We drive them away. Otherwise, things are normal here. It is the police who have given the hostel a bad name. The Bahadurpur police station house officer (SHO) will soon face the music for doing this,' he said before heading back to the hostel building.

The betel shop owner, who was listening to the conversation, spoke only after the youth left. 'You should take a room and stay in this place for some days. You will see people who are in the age group of 40-45 years emerge from rooms. They come to us, take things and don't pay most of the time. We cannot question them. They can beat us up or do anything they want. The police don't take any action. They come in the picture only after an incident takes place. It's difficult to say how many inmates at the five hostels in Saidpur are genuine students. I have not seen any one who looks like one,' the man said.

Who are they?

A source at Patna College, under PU, said nobody has been allotted rooms at the college's four hostels this academic year. But students, or outsiders, are living there illegally. 'The four hostels of Patna College - namely Minto, Jackson, New and Iqbal - were not allotted to students this academic season. Patna College took the decision following a directive from the university administration, as the students were involved in anti-academic activity. The decision was taken last July. But many, who could be students or outsiders, just broke the locks of the rooms and entered the hostels and are staying there now. The college administration has informed police about illegal entry of students into the hostels, but the police administration has failed to take any action,' said a college teacher on condition of anonymity.

Sources said the firing incident in which Shivam was killed at Saidpur Hostel on January 11 was shocking. Shivam was not a PU student, a fact the police have confirmed. During investigation, the police pointed fingers at an MLA who is a strongman. Shivam was reportedly close to him once but changed sides recently, triggering the attack on him. Earlier, on December 27, 2011, a student, Dilip Kumar, was killed and his body found inside the mess of Saidpur's hostel number-2.

The police had arrested a CRPF jawan and a girl in connection with the incident. It was said the girl and her grandfather were living in one of the hostel rooms illegally and the reason behind Dilip's murder was a love triangle.

At the root of all violence is the presence of old students (alumni) having connections with political wings like the Chhatra Samagam (students' wing of JDU) or RJD students' wing, or NSUI (students' wing of the Congress) or ABVP (students wing of the BJP). They are dominant and have their own group of outsiders who capture rooms, throw out genuine students who have been allotted the rooms. Some of these captured rooms are then let out to outsiders, sources said.

'We dare not touch them, for fear of inviting politicians' wrath. It's the same story with hostels like Minto, Jackson, New and Iqbal. If they have broken locks and people have entered the rooms, it means they are living there illegally. And we do not know whether they are students or outsiders,' a teacher said.

Most students refused to speak. A Patna College student who lives at a lodge said: 'We are here to study and not get into conflicts. They are dangerous and can do anything. I told my parents and they thought a lodge was a better option any day. I don't want to say anything more and please do not reveal my identity.'

But Patna College students who live in hostels illegally disagree that they were letting out the place. 'It is true most boarders at the hostels live illegally. But then where else do we go? Our families are poor and we cannot afford to live in lodges. Last June the college got the hostel vacated on the excuse of renovating it, but neither have the hostels been renovated, nor allotted to us. Yes, you can say our existence there is illegal,' a boarder at Jackson hostel said.

Cops and clashes

Police records show clashes among Patna College students have risen over the years.

There were three clashes between hostels in 2013 and four in 2014. Seventeen cases were lodged at Bahadurpur police station between 2012 and 2014 in connection with violent incidents at Saidpur Hostel.

'The year 2009 witnessed five cases in which FIRs were lodged. The FIRs rose to 10 in 2010 and then 19 in 2011. Twenty-one FIRs were lodged at Pirbahore police station in 2012 and 33 in 2013. Last year, 2014, was a relatively peaceful year with just 10 FIRs being lodged. Either the college administration or students lodge the FIRs, always against unknown persons. Conviction is almost zero and there are reasons for it,' Patna SP (central) Shivdeep Lande said.

'They lodge FIRs in a fit of rage but when the police begin investigating, they turn hostile and say the police forced them to lodge it. The police look for eyewitnesses but none comes forward. Nobody turns up for a fresh statement either. In inter-hostel clashes, the complainant is always the police. The police can take concrete action if only the FIRs are specific and the college authorities and students cooperate,' the officer said.

Patna College authorities argue the police could easily act if they wanted to.

'They say they want a list of boarders and those who are illegally staying in the hostels. In the case of Patna College, there have been no allotments this year and yet people are staying in the hostels. Obviously, they are all illegal boarders and we have informed the police. The police can act if they want to. We are teachers and not the police. It is not our job to evict illegal boarders. They might attack us. We do not have the strength to counter them,' a teacher said on condition of anonymity.

Film link Hostel is a 2005 American horror film written, produced, and directed by Eli Roth. It is the first instalment of the Hostel film series, followed by Hostel: Part II, released on June 8, 2007, and Hostel: Part III, released on December 27, 2011. The film tells the story of two college students travelling across Europe, who find themselves the victims of an international murder-for-profit business, in which wealthy clients pay to torture victims to death. The situation in Patna University's hostels is not that scary. But the HORROR is comparable. In the Eli Roth film after one enters the hostel, ghastly acts followed. Back home, one suffers from fear at the very sight of PU hostels - the abode of illegal occupants and epicentre of several bloody clashes.