Serious allegations of unsafe food, intimidation, and administrative apathy have emerged from a government-run girls’ hostel in Ponneri, where students staged a sit-in protest over repeated instances of worm-infested meals and alleged harassment by hostel authorities.
As reported in Dinamalar, the hostel, run under the Tamil Nadu government’s Social Justice Department, houses around 40 college-going students.
One of the residents, Jayasri, who has been staying at the hostel for over a year, described a persistent pattern of poor-quality food being served. She said, “The problem now is that the food in our hostel is not good at all. There are worms in the food, this has been happening repeatedly. When we inform the Madam about it, she says ‘okay, today it will be fixed’, but the very next day the same food, the same wormy food, is back again.”
She further alleged that temporary fixes are made only when complaints are raised, but the issue quickly returns. “When we say it’s okay today, Madam will make it fresh for that day. But two days later, the same problem is back. The more we raise this issue, the more the problems increase,” she said, adding that she had photographic evidence of the contaminated food.
Displaying the images, she said, “These are the photos of the worms in the food. Because we question the food quality here and raise complaints, they are telling us to vacate the hostel and leave.”
Jayasri also claimed that the situation has worsened under the current warden. While acknowledging that food quality had been poor even earlier, she said the previous administration made some effort to manage the situation. “After the current Madam came, it was okay for about three months. After that, because of this wormy food and everything, we started raising more questions – and because of that, they are now telling four members specifically to vacate the hostel.”
She alleged that students are being asked to leave without alternative arrangements and are subjected to humiliation. “When we ask where we are supposed to go, they say ‘go wherever you want, but you cannot stay here’ and they insult us in the process.”
According to her, the situation has severely impacted students’ mental well-being and academic focus. “Because of the problems happening here, we are not able to study properly at all. We are not able to do anything properly. Everything happening here is causing us severe mental distress.”
She further alleged that officials who visited the hostel failed to hear the students’ grievances. “All the officers have now come because the problem has grown bigger. But none of them are enquiring about what the actual problem is from our side. They listen to whatever the Madam says, shout at us four or five times, and then leave.”
Jayasri also accused the authorities of threatening students and misrepresenting them to their families. “When we try to speak up, they say ‘Are you raising your voice at me?’ and then threaten us as if they will do something to us. Because of all this, they are also calling our homes and portraying us falsely to our parents saying things like ‘your daughter’s behaviour is not good,’ falsely defaming us and threatening our parents as well.”
Another student echoed similar concerns, alleging that students are being forced to vacate the hostel under the pretext of lack of space. “They are saying there is no space in the PG accommodation and sending us out. The food problem – the food is not good, it has worms. Students have been vomiting to the point of food poisoning here.”
She alleged that raising complaints has led to punitive action. “Because we are raising this problem, they are sending us out. Similarly, when they call our homes, if we say the food is not good, they call our parents and say we are not behaving properly and that we cannot stay in the hostel for two more days.”
The student further claimed that the warden has made false allegations about students’ conduct. “The warden is falsely portraying us to our parents, saying things like ‘she is talking to this boy, she is talking to that boy.’ You are the ones who need to question this and hold them accountable. We are not able to study, we are under severe mental stress.”
When asked whether any formal complaint had been filed, the student responded, “Yes, we filed a complaint. We gave it to the AD Officer, we gave it to the Tahsildar – nobody responded to us. We even filed petitions to the Chief Minister, but we don’t know how those petitions were closed without any resolution.”
Earlier in the day, students staged a sit-in protest in front of the hostel, highlighting the issue of contaminated food and alleged mistreatment. They stated that the ongoing situation was affecting their studies and health.
Following the protest, Ponneri police arrived at the scene and held discussions with the students. Officials assured that the matter would be taken up with the concerned authorities and that appropriate action would be initiated.
Subsequently, the students withdrew their protest and returned to the hostel, pending further action from the administration.
மாணவியர் விடுதியில் உணவு தரமற்ற முறையில் விநியோகம்.. உணவில் புழு இருந்ததாகவும் மாணவிகள் தர்ணா போராட்டம்#Tiruvallur #Students #TNGovt #LadiesHostel #Newstamil24x7 pic.twitter.com/9pqqNOPajw
— News Tamil 24×7 (@NewsTamilTV24x7) March 24, 2026
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