Ashoka Students Locked Out of Campus as Winter Break Housing Crisis Escalates

On the evening of 28th December 2025, gate access for multiple students was blocked by the administration at around 5:00 pm, leaving several students stranded outside campus in freezing temperatures. This followed the Residence Life Office’s (ResLife) prior communication that students were not allowed to occupy their rooms during Winter Break and required to vacate campus premises as soon as the semester ended. 

Students were directed to fill a Campus Life Ministry (CLM) form to request on-campus housing after the break, which would be approved by the administration on a “case-by-case basis”. However, many students reported receiving no response from ResLife and subsequently found their QR access codes blocked without prior warning.

Rekha Mahajan (UG ‘26) noted that only the students who filled the CLM form were the ones barred from campus on Saturday evening. Multiple students who continued their stay without filling the form did not face this issue. Another student also mentioned that ResLife has revoked cross-access privileges for those who don’t have approval to be on campus.

Ahaan Sharma* (UG ‘27), who had been staying on campus since the semester ended, told The Edict that following a day trip to Delhi, he received an email from the ResLife office at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday stating his request to stay had been denied, and he would not be allowed back on campus. He said the communication came after nearly a week without a response. He added that he conveyed his intent to stay, as he had a scheduled flight on 29th December 2025, and that re-entry was necessary for him to pack and prepare for departure. All his belongings, including his suitcase and Aadhaar card, were in his campus room. “I told him I didn’t have an official reason, but my flight tickets were booked, and I couldn't change them. I sent him my tickets. He said he would get back to me, but he did not,” Sharma said. 

With no family in Delhi, Sharma said his parents called the administration but were told he must find accommodation in the city. “The admin helplines were extremely unhelpful or unavailable,” he said. He was subsequently allowed into campus after 20 minutes of waiting outside campus in the cold at 11:50 p.m., following a mail he sent at the gate to the administration. 

Ahana Walanju (UG ‘27), the Vice-President of the AUSG, explained that until about 8 p.m., students and AUSG officials alike lacked clarity on the status of students on or off-campus who had not received confirmation of their stay requests. In a statement issued to the student body on Saturday night, the Ashoka University Student Government (AUSG) said that pending applications for stay on campus would be reviewed on the morning of 29th December 2025. At around 9:30 p.m., the AUSG  confirmed with the DSA, Dr Dheeraj Sanghi, that students without confirmation about their stay on campus would have to stay overnight in TDI Lake Grove (an off-campus apartment complex where Teaching Fellows and Graduate students are usually housed). Payment for accommodation would not be required for that night. 

Mahajan stated that despite receiving permission from Warden Anju Sangwan to stay on campus, she found out at the gate that her ID had been blocked with no prior notice, and she was allowed back into the campus after waiting for about 15 minutes at the gate. 

Sakshi* (UG ‘26), another student, told The Edict that the ResLife Office had not informed her of any actions that may be taken against students, such as blocking their ID cards. She was made to wait outside the gate for more than an hour. When she reached out to Reslife asking for guidance on the matter, she was told by a representative that there was nothing they could do to help. With support from the Ashoka University Student Government (AUSG), she was permitted a 30-minute window to enter, pack her belongings, and leave. “It's your [Ashoka’s] student, and you are here to help students out. I don't think that they are doing that anymore,” she said.

Another student, Sarah* (UG ‘27), described her experience with ResLife to The Edict. Having faced a similar issue to Sakshi, Sarah still faced significant delays in getting back into campus despite receiving written approval from a ResLife member via mail from the gate. This approval was rejected by the Head of Security, insisting that only direct approval from ResLife to Security would grant her access. After over an hour of back and forth communication, she was allowed into campus. She added that students were not allowed to leave the premises either, along with entering. 

The initial policy posed a risk to international students since most of them stay on campus for winter break out of convenience. The Ashoka University International Student Association (AUISA), upon intimation of this policy, sent a mass email to Reslife about the same, asking for permission to be granted. This request was approved the next day. 

Following further intervention, two of the aforementioned students were finally permitted to re-enter campus at 11:30 p.m, while the others were relocated to TDI for the night. Walanju claimed that the administration believes that staying on campus over the breaks is a “privilege” and not a right. In the case that the administration finds a student exploiting this privilege, they would have to pay for their night of stay.

On 30th December, students- including some not physically present- received emails from Residence Life insisting they leave campus by 2:00 p.m. the following day to ‘prevent unnecessary disciplinary procedures’,  highlighting ongoing communication issues.

The Edict reached out to Ms Shiuli Biswas, Head of Residence Life, and the DSA for comments and clarification regarding the escalating crisis. While Ms Biswas refused to comment on the matter, this story will be updated to reflect the DSA’s response as and when received.

*Pseudonyms have been provided to these individuals to preserve their anonymity. 

[Edited by Sahana Radhakrishnan, Tanisha Pandey, and Madiha Tariq]