Patna, Dec. 28: The dilapidated Patna University hostels and private lodges in the city are scary for bright students. Shaky without security, they suffer silently amid frequent fights, gross indiscipline, suicides, mysterious deaths and even murder around them.

Saidpur Hostel Number-2 sported a scary look this morning, a day after its illegal boarder Dilip Kumar was found murdered. Its residents fled out of fear. There was nobody to instil the sense of security in them.

No security around, the boarders fled for their life. They apprehended outsiders could walk in at will and attack them.

Akshay Kumar, a BCom student of Patna College and a resident of Saidpur Hostel Number-2, said: “There are around 90 boarders in our hostel. After the murder of Dilip, 40 have locked their rooms and left. Even after such a serious incident, no security arrangement has been made. The university also never bothered to provide security to any of the hostels in the city. Strangers walk in, drink, create ugly scenes, indulge in fights and leave. Nobody is there to stop them.”

Patna University proctor Kriteshwar Prasad promised to strengthen the boundary wall around the hostels at Saidpur to keep outsiders at bay. The dilapidated hostels would be demolished and their bricks would be used to plug the holes in the wall. Till it materialises, the boarders of Saidpur hostels would have to suffer from uncanny fear every night, as their counterparts in other varsity hostels do because of inadequate security.

Admitting lack of safety in the varsity hostels, Prasad said: “Security of students is our biggest concern. We want to address it but we have our limitations.”

Prasad said: “Very few hostels under the varsity have ward servants, security guards and night guards. The existing employees have become old and are inefficient to do their work properly.”

Though concerned, the varsity hardly has any plan to tighten the security of the hostels. Prasad said: “The government has banned appointment of Grade III and IV employees, including guards, for the past 10 years. The varsity cannot afford to deploy private security guards at all the hostels.”

The varsity hostel residents are not afraid of outsiders only. There are troublemakers within — the illegal boarders. Patna University dean, students’ welfare, P.K. Poddar said: “Despite our willingness we cannot force illegal boarders out.”

The condition of private lodges is no better on the security front. A boarder of Nepali Lodge in the Langartoli area of Kadamkuan died mysteriously on December 26.

The hostels of the premier institutes also lack adequate security. Nobody noticed Yalavarthi Sweeya, an IIT-Patna student, jumping off the fifth floor of a makeshift girls’ hostel of the institute at a Patliputra-based apartment.