Patna College has decided to categorise students according to their academic year while allocating hostels to prevent ragging and frequent clashes among boarders.

From the academic session starting August 2012, the undergraduate freshers will be asked to stay at New Hostel. The hostel will house students who take admission to Patna College on the basis of entrance test.

Patna College has four hostels under it — New, Minto, Iqbal and Jackson.

Patna College principal Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh said: “This is the first time that the college administration will allot space to students in hostels according to academic year. Earlier, students from all three years of graduation were allotted hostels on the basis of marks and number of seats available.”

The principal added that the reason behind allotting hostels year-wise was to keep a tab on growing anti-academic activities between boarders of Minto and Jackson. From now, second-year students will stay at Minto Hostel, while third-year students will put up at Jackson. (See Graphic)

The principal said hostel seats would be allotted to first-year students on the basis of marks secured in the entrance test. A general category student has to secure at least 60 per cent marks for a space in New Hostel. Similarly, for reserved category students the minimum marks will be between 50 and 60 per cent depending on the reservation.

For second- and third-year students, seats will be allotted on the basis of marks secured in their graduation first and second year university examinations. Students securing 60 per cent or above (general category) in graduation examinations will be given priority.

A second-year student of Patna College and a boarder of Minto Hostel, Sunil Kumar, said: “The new step is a welcome move for students as well as for the hostels of Patna College. The hostels were once the centre of attraction because its boarders performed better than day scholars in competitive examinations.” However, he added that in the past few years the hostels lost its charm because students mostly indulged in “anti-academic activities”.

A senior teacher of the college, on condition of anonymity, said: “It has been found that boarders of the two hostels clash over trivial issues. Brawls and fights had become a routine affair every year.”

The teacher added that the reason behind the tension between the two hostels was that the boarders living in a particular hostel formed a group and even after studying in the same class, they did not have good terms with students from other hostels.

Patna University proctor Kriteshwar Prasad said: “From the next academic session, we will take an undertaking from boarders entering the hostels that if they are found indulging in any anti-academic activities they would be asked to leave the hostel or their results will be withheld.”