Pune’s Vishrambaug police have directed paying guest accommodation operators and hostel owners in Budhwar Peth and adjoining areas to submit detailed records of students staying at their premises within 24 hours of receiving a notice. The order also makes online tenant verification mandatory and warns of action under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against operators who do not comply.
The notice was issued on October 9 in the name of Vishrambaug police station senior inspector Navnath Jagtap. It forms part of a citywide exercise to collect information on people living in hostels, PG accommodations and rented rooms, according to the report.
Police have asked operators to submit the name and complete address of their establishment, contact numbers and copies of permissions obtained from the relevant authorities. They must also provide copies of rental agreements between property owners and tenants.
For students staying in the facilities, operators have been directed to submit Aadhaar copies, identity cards issued by libraries or coaching academies, and lists containing residents’ names, addresses and contact numbers. The notice also directs operators to complete online tenant verification for all students living in hostels and PG accommodations.
The police said the exercise is intended to monitor the presence of suspicious individuals and people with criminal backgrounds and to help prevent untoward incidents. The move comes against the backdrop of bomb blasts and terror attacks reported in Pune and elsewhere in the country, according to the report.
The directions extend beyond documentation. Hostel and PG operators have been told to install CCTV cameras at appropriate locations and preserve the footage for at least 60 days. They have also been advised to accept rent from students or other tenants, either fully or partially, through online payment modes.
The requirements place PG operators at the centre of a broader police effort to improve visibility over Pune’s fast-changing rental and student accommodation network. In areas with large numbers of students, short-term tenants and coaching-centre residents, police verification depends heavily on landlords and accommodation managers maintaining current records.
MLA Rohit Pawar separately claimed that the notice was connected to the Maharashtra Public Service Commission protest. He alleged that hostel owners were being targeted because many students living in these facilities were participating in protests against MPSC chief Vivek Bhimanwar. The report does not include an independent police confirmation of that claim.
The immediate compliance deadline for operators is 24 hours from receipt of the notice. The police have warned that failure to follow the directions could result in action under the provision cited in the notice.
