Mumbai: Since November 2025, students at Amity University Mumbai have been alleging that contaminated food and water on campus have caused a growing health crisis. At least 122 students have been diagnosed with jaundice and Hepatitis A in the last four months, students have claimed. Despite repeated complaints, they say the university administration has not taken significant action and instead, tried to silence those speaking out.Several students, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Wire that university authorities have threatened them and frequently contacted them and their parents after videos and complaints about hostel food and water conditions appeared online. One student claimed that after posting a video on Instagram about the issue, both they, along with a friend, were pressured by university officials to delete it.“They are pressuring me and my friend to delete the video I posted on Instagram and threatening action against us if we don’t remove it,” an undergraduate student told The Wire. The student said that no substantial action has been taken besides collecting water samples from the boys’ hostel, girls’ hostel, and cafeteria. They claimed that testing had been done before, but students were never properly informed about who carried out the inspections. This lack of transparency has led to growing distrust, with many students doubting the administration’s assurances that the food and water are safe.An undergraduate student from the Amity School of Engineering alleged that earlier this year, a man claiming to work at a government-run laboratory in Panvel collected water samples from the boys’ and girls’ hostels. According to the student, the man later informed him in February that the samples were contaminated. However, when the student raised the issue in front of the Amity administration, the Director of Administration (Hostels and Security), and several faculty members, he said they accused him of “lying.” The Wire wrote to the varsity administration but didn’t get any response.Students are demanding an independent investigation into the food and water quality on campus with student representatives involved. Many say they do not trust internal inquiries by the administration and want transparency about the testing process and its results.ABVP members meet university authoritiesAnother student claimed that student organisations, including members from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), recently met with university authorities about the issue. “The authorities asked them for one week and said they are making changes because now there is political pressure,” the student said.A student from the Amity Institute of Behavioural and Allied sciences said, “Every student’s hospital bill, including mine, was around Rs 60,000-70,000.”Established in 2014, Amity University Mumbai is a private university located in Panvel, Maharashtra. It is recognised under the Maharashtra Government Act and by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The university offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes across disciplines including engineering, management, law, architecture, and media studies, and has a 30-acre campus along the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Students at Amity pay fees as high as Rs 80,000 to Rs 1.3 lakh annually. The lack of compensation, they say, is particularly distressing for families already dealing with rising medical bills.Also read: 43 Students From Eklavya Model Residential School in Gujarat Fall Sick After Eating Midday MealThey have alleged that the University administration has tried to dismiss the situation as “fake rumours” while blaming the outbreak on food consumed outside the campus, especially from nearby villages. The students strongly reject this explanation.“They are saying not to trust fake rumours, but these are not fake,” one student argued, “Every day something comes out of the food; the water is dirty and students are getting hospitalised.”The student also challenged the university’s claim that outside food caused the illnesses. “The admin is claiming this happened because students ate food from the nearby village. But if village food was the issue, then the villagers would have got sick too. The problems are happening only on campus. Even the watchmen on campus had jaundice,” the student said.Many students suspect that the contamination might result from faulty campus infrastructure, such as potential leaks or cross-contamination between sewage and drinking water pipes.University denies negligenceSeveral students claimed that instead of addressing their concerns, university officials have held meetings and issued warnings to those speaking publicly about the issue.“They are calling me to the department every day for meetings and making me sit there for hours, but nothing conclusive is happening,” one student said. “They have repeatedly asked me to list all the problems the students are facing, and despite doing that, our concerns have fallen on deaf ears. They have also asked me to take down the videos and promised that they would take action and address our grievances, but nothing has been done so far,” he added.According to students, the superficial cleaning measures announced by the administration have not addressed ongoing hygiene issues in cafeterias and dining areas.“They are not taking any real action. They keep saying they clean every day. We want real cleanliness efforts in our cafeteria, MRC, and all food areas,” the student said.The Wire reached out to the registrar of Amity University Mumbai with a detailed questionnaire for comments regarding the many serious allegations made by students but did not receive a response.However, on May 6, the Director-Admin (Hostels and Security), Lt. Col Himanshu Mehrish (retd), told The Wire that there had been “no negligence” on the part of the university and that “the competent authorities have carried out in-depth checks, and we have not heard any adverse comments from the competent authorities.” He further asked us to redirect any additional questions to the registrar’s office. However, despite repeated attempts to seek clarification and further responses from the registrar, no response was received at the time of publication.Further, on May 14, Savita Mehta, the Vice President Communications, issued a statement via email on behalf of Amity Mumbai. According to the statement, the university maintains “rigorous standards of hygiene and sanitation” across the campus. It stated that drinking water is supplied through a scientifically managed RO and UV purification system and is regularly tested by NABL-accredited laboratories to ensure safety and quality. “Food and water samples are periodically tested at regular intervals, and the reports are transparently shared with students as well as displayed on campus notice boards. The food safety and hygiene standards maintained in campus dining facilities are in compliance with FSSAI norms and guidelines,” the statement further read.Mehta also shared a laboratory report showing that a water sample from the boys’ hostel tested negative for contamination.A laboratory report showing a water sample from the boys’ hostel. Document provided by Amity University.However, students have alleged that four tests were conducted in total, of which two reportedly indicated contamination. They further claimed that the contamination issue was not linked to the boys’ hostel water supply, but rather to the water used at the MRC cafe. When asked for those reports, the students alleged that the university had refused to make them public.Another student claimed that the health crisis has worsened over the last four months as more students have fallen ill. Many affected students have moved out of hostels for safety but have not received any reimbursement or compensation from the university.Students alleged that despite their worsening health conditions, those forced to leave campus housing are still financially burdened. This has drawn criticism from student organisations like the All India Students Federation, which recently accused the university of having a “purely capitalistic mindset”.University restricts outside foodAnother student said that the university has restricted access to food outside campus, forcing many to depend on what they describe as unhygienic meals prepared on university grounds.“The university has also restricted us from accessing food outside the campus, so we have to rely on food made in unhygienic conditions, which compromises our health even more,” the student said.Organisations like Students’ Federation of India and AISF have released demands, including removing the independent mess contractor, forming an independent food inspection committee with student representatives, providing free medical treatment and full compensation for affected students, reimbursing hostel fees for students forced to stay off-campus, and lifting restrictions on outside food.Students also alleged that attempts to raise concerns publicly have met with intimidation. They say university officials repeatedly contact their parents and threaten students who post videos online with disciplinary action.One student, speaking in a video shared online, stated that students would keep speaking out if meaningful action was not taken. “Ignoring this will not work. Amity Mumbai needs to take responsibility and act immediately. If it doesn’t change, our voices will only get louder,” the student said.Not just students, but parents too are now expressing concern over the situation. One parent, whose 18-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with Hepatitis A, said that despite charging exorbitant amounts of money, the authorities remain indifferent to the conditions of students. “She was admitted on May 5 and discharged on May 9. As of now, there has been no support from the university. I am soon going to speak with the authorities,” the parent said.One parent alleged that instead of listening to their grievances, they have started blaming the students in front of their parents.Students maintain that their main demand is not just accountability but also an independent, transparent investigation into the campus food and water systems with student representatives involved so the findings can be trusted by those most affected.Nishtha Sood is a researcher and journalist with a degree in Politics and International Relations from SOAS, University of London, has been working with Dr Abdul Wahid Shaikh and documenting cases of custodial torture and human rights abuses in India since 2017.Note: This article was updated with Amity University’s response to the published report via email on May 14, 2026.