SFI Delhi Relaunches Student Tenants Union Delhi to Strengthen Collective Fight Against PG Owners, Landlords

New Delhi: The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) Delhi State Committee has announced the re-launch of the Student Tenants Union Delhi (STUD) to establish a collective movement against widespread rent exploitation, harassment, and unsafe living conditions faced by outstation students across the national capital.

Originally formed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect student tenants from arbitrary rent demands and sudden eviction threats, the union is being reactivated as a permanent organizational platform. SFI leadership stated that the resurgence of the union is necessary to challenge the systemic vulnerabilities faced by thousands of young migrants who move to the city each year for higher education.

The decision to re-launch the union follows severe safety concerns highlighted by the recent structural collapse of a PG accommodation in Satyaniketan locality, an incident that resulted in the deaths of seven students. Student representatives pointed out that the tragedy exposed the stark realities of the city's housing crunch, where acute shortages of official university hostel accommodations force young migrants into unregulated, overpopulated, and structurally hazardous private rentals.

According to SFI Delhi, many landlords and private PG operators routinely exploit the lack of student housing to maximize profits while ignoring basic fire safety regulations and municipal building codes. The organization noted that individual students often face immense difficulty challenging landlord demands or political pressure, making a unified student union essential to balance the dynamic.

Under its new charter, the Student Tenants Union Delhi plans to initiate periodic ground-level housing audits across major student hubs to document physical living conditions, safety violations, and arbitrary tenancy rules. The findings will be published in comprehensive reports to pressure civic authorities into taking regulatory enforcement measures. A union for student tenants will also allow them to approach the police and demand legal intervention in cases of harassment, threats, illegal eviction or other violations, and support students facing targeted harassment or retaliation from landlords and PG owners.

SFI Delhi emphasized that the union will operate alongside its broader political demand for universal hostel accommodations across public universities. SFI representatives also criticized the Delhi government and regulatory agencies for failing to monitor unchecked private housing networks, demanding strict state accountability and immediate policy interventions to ensure safe and affordable living spaces for all students in the capital.