The decision of Patna College to provide hostel facilities to students on the basis of their academic performance and year of study triggered a threat call to its principal.

At 6.11pm on Tuesday, a student threatened Patna College principal Lal Keshwar Prasad Singh on his cellphone with dire consequences for introducing the new system of allotting hostels. An FIR was lodged at Pirbhore police station on Wednesday evening.

“The caller introduced himself as one Sunil and claimed to be a boarder of Jackson Hostel. First, he said the college administration’s decision to provide hostel facilities to students on the basis of their academic performance was pathetic. When I told him that the decision had already been taken and would not change and many students stay at private lodges, the caller threatened to eliminate me. He hurled a volley of abuses at me before threatening again,” Singh told The Telegraph on Thursday.

Principal Singh said: “I have informed the proctor and the vice-chancellor of Patna University about the incident. The students just cannot have their own way always. The entrance test of the university was a step towards setting things in order. The new regulation towards providing hostel facilities is another step. Whatever is being done is for the betterment of the college and the university as a whole,” Singh added.

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

Patna College has four hostels — New, Minto, Iqbal and Jackson. From the 2012-13 academic session starting in August, the undergraduate freshers would be allotted rooms at New Hostel on the basis of their performance in the entrance test.

Undergraduate second-year students would be accommodated at Minto Hostel, while third-year students would stay at Jackson Hostel.

Iqbal Hostel, which is considered better in terms of discipline among the three hostels, would be reserved for minority students of all the three years.

Patna College has decided that hostel facilities would be provided to only those general category students who secure 60 per cent and above marks. ST/SC/OBC students with at least 50 per cent marks in the examination would be allocated hostel accommodation.

Randhir Kumar Singh, the superintendent of Patna College hostels, told The Telegraph: “Earlier, students of the first, second and third years stayed at all the three hostels of the college, which was one of the main reasons behind ragging and other illegal activities. The entrance results of Patna College were announced on July 14 and the allotment of hostels has started according to the new guidelines. The college administration got to know last Tuesday about people illegally staying at the hostels, supposed to be empty at present. A raid was conducted. Twelve rooms were found with private locks, which were broken. The objects inside the rooms were confiscated. A group of students, who do not want to vacate the hostels and do not like the new directives, are causing problems.”

Patna city superintendent of police Jayant Kant said: “The police will investigate the matter and take necessary steps.”

The issue of evicting illegal boarders from postgraduate hostels of colleges under PU was in news for all the wrong reasons. On June 24, shots were allegedly fired at BN College hostel superintendent D.N. Sinha’s quarters to terrorise him for vacating the facility according to a varsity order. (See graphic)