How Amity University Is Degrading Day By Day—High Fees, Low Standards, Lower Safety!

Lucknow (September 2025): A grainy 101-second video jolted the academic community when it surfaced online in early September. In the footage, a second-year law student of Amity University’s Lucknow campus, Shikhar Mukesh Kesarwani, is trapped in a parked car, cowering as classmates rain slap after slap on his face. Over the span of roughly 90 seconds, he endures “25–30” violent slaps on camera, and allegedly “50 to 60 times” in total during an extended 45-minute ordeal.

A female student in the front seat, identified as Jahnvi Mishra, strikes him repeatedly while ordering him to put his hands down. Another male student (addressed as “Ayush” in the video) pins Shikhar’s arms and snarls, “If I start beating you, put your hand down”. Shikhar, who had recently undergone ligament surgery and walked with a stick, cannot fully defend himself. The assailants, five of his own classmates, laugh and hurl abuses as they videotape the assault on their phones.

This shocking incident on August 26, 2025 is not an isolated aberration. It has exposed what many students and observers allege is a toxic campus culture festering across multiple Amity University branches in India. From brutal ragging rituals to unchecked bullying and even drug abuse, a pattern of indiscipline and academic decline appears to be eroding the sheen of a once-premier private university.

In Lucknow, Shikhar’s father has filed an FIR naming five attackers, Ayush Yadav, Jahnvi Mishra, Milay Banerjee, Vivek Singh, and Aryaman Shukla. The attack has left his son “traumatised” and unwilling to return to classes. As the video went viral on social media, outraged viewers demanded accountability. Yet to longtime Amity watchers, the episode felt grimly familiar; just the latest in a series of violent incidents and institutional failures that have plagued Amity University campuses over the years.

Can We Detect A Pattern of Ragging and Campus Violence at Amity Universities?

Across India, Amity University’s campuses have repeatedly made headlines for ragging, harassment, and violence, often with disturbing similarities. While some incidents gained public attention through viral videos or police cases, many more, students say, go unreported or are brushed under the rug. Consider the following troubling cases from different Amity locations and years.

2009 (Noida): First-year B.Tech student Justin John Xavier died under mysterious circumstances, found drowned in the campus swimming pool. Justin was an experienced swimmer, a state-level gold medallist, and at 6 feet tall, drowning in a 5-foot-deep pool seemed inexplicable. His family in Kerala alleged he had complained of being ragged by seniors shortly before his death.

While Noida police initially ruled it an accidental drowning, a second autopsy found suspicious head and trunk injuries on Justin’s body. Years later, a CBI court ordered the probe re-opened, noting that “ragging is present in the evidence, but was never looked at sufficiently”. Justin’s grieving father has fought a protracted legal battle, suspecting a cover-up of a ragging incident that went horribly wrong.

September 2009 (Noida): In a separate case the same year, Prateek Yadav, a first-year Hotel Management student, was allegedly drugged by seniors after he protested against ragging. According to Prateek’s testimony, a group of unknown seniors accosted him off-campus, forced him to eat a sedative-laced snack (puri), and left him disoriented at his hostel. He was later hospitalized for “unknown poisoning”.

Police filed a case under IPC Section 328 (administration of a stupefying drug), yet Prateek’s complaint itself did not explicitly mention ragging, perhaps out of fear, and Amity’s spokesperson was quick to claim their “initial probe found it wasn’t ragging” since it happened outside campus. No seniors were formally identified in the FIR. The incident set an early precedent of students being terrorized into silence, and the university distancing itself from off-campus misconduct.

March 2012 (Jaipur): In a shocking turn of events at Amity’s Jaipur campus, ragging provoked a deadly act of revenge. Prashant Veer Singh, a 3rd-year engineering student, was stabbed to death by a group of juniors in what police later confirmed was retaliation for ragging. Earlier that day, Prashant had allegedly slapped a first-year student, Puneet Dalal, as part of ragging. Humiliated and enraged, Puneet (incidentally the grandson of a former MLA) gathered six friends that night and lured Prashant to a tea stall off-campus under a friendly pretext.

There, the juniors brutally beat Prashant, inflicting head injuries, and Puneet fatally stabbed him. Prashant’s friends claimed campus security guards refused to open the gates during the attack, delaying help. Police arrested seven students for murder. Notably, Prashant himself had a disciplinary record as he’d been suspended from the hostel earlier for indiscipline, suggesting a cycle of violence where yesterday’s bullies became today’s victims. The Jaipur tragedy underscored how ragging can spiral into lethal vendettas, and cast a long shadow over Amity’s commitment to student safety.

October 2012 (Noida): Two first-year MBA brothers, Sachin and Amit Chauhan, reported being beaten black and blue by 10 seniors at Amity Noida for the “crime” of not addressing the seniors as “sir.” The assault occurred inside the campus, right outside the director’s office, where the juniors were waiting to meet an official. When the Chauhan brothers refused the seniors’ demand to show deference, the group of older students cornered and thrashed them.

Shockingly, faculty members stood by and watched from a distance, not intervening, according to Sachin’s account. Security guards and some friends eventually broke up the fight. Sachin needed five stitches on his forehead and Amit was left with a bruised face. Yet, both the police and the university refused to label the incident as ragging. The local SP admitted the attack was over honorifics, but insisted “it was not ragging” and filed the case under general assault charges.

Amity’s spokesperson echoed this denial, claiming it was a “minor dispute” during sports practice and “not a case of ragging”, with only one student suspended as a token measure. This official stance of “ragging in denial” drew outrage, as it was clear the attack stemmed from seniors enforcing hierarchy in classic ragging style. The episode highlighted how Amity’s administration often downplays ragging complaints, possibly to protect the institution’s reputation at the expense of victims.

March 2017 (Noida): In yet another case, a 19-year-old first-year Amity University (Noida) student of Hotel Management alleged that six seniors physically ragged and beat him inside the campus. According to the victim’s father, the boy had been repeatedly harassed by a group of seniors who lived near the campus as they would demand he dance or sing on command, typical ragging humiliation. During an internal practical exam on March 23, 2017, these seniors started bothering him in class. Fed up, the junior told them off and tried to focus on his exam. The seniors then reportedly apologized and lured him to meet after class, only to ambush him on a building’s ground floor.

There, five held him down while one senior slapped and punched him, leaving bruises on his face and back. The boy went home bloodied and the family filed a police complaint. The FIR cited rioting, assault, criminal intimidation, and the state’s anti-ragging law, and one identified student plus five “unknowns” were booked. When the victim’s father raised the issue with Amity’s administration, “they paid no heed to his concerns,” he told the press. In public statements, however, Amity once again denied any ragging took place.

A spokesperson, Savita Mehta (Amity’s VP of Communications), claimed it was simply “a fight between two groups of students” and that an internal discipline committee found “it was not a case of ragging”. Only after the police FIR did Amity’s anti-ragging committee belatedly step in, referring the case to a disciplinary committee. This pattern of minimal institutional action, until outside authorities get involved left students and parents frustrated in 2017, as it does today.

August 2019 (Noida): Perhaps the most brazen breakdown of campus law and order came in a mass brawl at Amity Noida that made national headlines. What began as a petty parking dispute spiraled into a mob assault involving 20-25 students and grievous injuries to at least two. On August 28, 2019, two final-year BA students, Harsh Yadav and Madhav Chaudhary, had an argument with a female student over her SUV being improperly parked and causing a traffic jam on campus. Words were exchanged; the girl allegedly threatened them with “dire consequences” before storming off.

Harsh and Madhav went to class, only for the girl to soon return with a large group of her friends (reports say between 15 to 30) who attacked Harsh and Madhav inside a classroom. According to Madhav’s statement, the mob of mostly male students went on a rampage, assaulting the two students with such ferocity that Madhav suffered a severe head wound requiring 13 stitches, and Harsh was also badly injured. Even some faculty and other students were caught in the fray and hurt as they tried to intervene.

The attackers then chased the victims outside and beat them with an iron rod in a second round of assault when Harsh and Madhav attempted to call police. Videos and photos of the clash leaked onto social media, sparking outrage and the viral hashtags #JusticeForHarsh and #JusticeForMadhav, which trended in India for days. Noida police lodged cross-FIRs, one by Harsh/Madhav against the attackers for assault, and a counter-complaint by the girl alleging the two boys had molested her (a charge the boys staunchly denied as a baseless smokescreen). Students at Amity responded with protests, even conducting a car rally on campus to demand justice and better security.

Amity’s response, however, was tepid. The university claimed neither side had initially filed a direct complaint with the campus authorities, and announced only that a proctorial committee would investigate. Observers noted that only after the incident blew up online and involved police did Amity even acknowledge it. The 2019 brawl, with its caste of spoiled brats, vigilante justice, and administrative inertia, became a byword for Amity’s deteriorating campus discipline in the public eye. It left students and parents questioning that “If even a well-known Noida campus isn’t safe from gang beatings in broad daylight, what is happening elsewhere?”

August 2025 (Lucknow): The vicious slapping of Shikhar Kesarwani by his classmates is the latest entry in this grim timeline. What’s particularly disturbing is that this was peer-on-peer violence among classmates, not even seniors ragging freshmen. The motive remains murky, some reports hint it might have stemmed from a personal dispute or rumors about “character”. Regardless, the brutality with which these second-year law students enforced mob justice on a fellow student even breaking Shikhar’s phone and threatening to kill him and his family during the incident, speaks volumes about the environment of intimidation on campus.

Shikhar’s father reported that when he visited the college after the assault, the accused students boldly threatened him, warning him never to come again or risk being beaten as well. Such impunity where juniors threatening a parent on university premises suggests that bullying and violence have been normalized to a terrifying extent. The silence is deafening for many students who wonder if speaking up would fall on deaf ears, or worse, invite reprisals.

This litany of incidents spanning over a decade and multiple campuses (Noida, Lucknow, Jaipur, etc.) reveals a deep-rooted problem. Ragging, which in Indian universities is officially banned and often associated with seniors tormenting newcomers, appears to have morphed at Amity into a broader culture of bullying at all levels. Students have been beaten for trivial reasons, like for not saying “sir,” asking someone to move a car, resisting humiliation, or just being disliked.

Such cases are not mere pranks or one-offs; they point to systemic lapses in campus discipline, security, and mentorship. In many of these cases, the victims or their families allege that Amity’s management was unresponsive or in denial until police or media pressure forced action. Indeed, an official from another university noted generally that “fearing inimical propaganda, some institutions try to hush up incidents of ragging on their campuses”, a comment that could well describe Amity’s approach.

Fear and Silence: The Aftermath of Ragging

For the students at the receiving end of these attacks, the impact is devastating. Beyond the physical injuries (stitches, bruises, and worse), the psychological trauma runs deep. “My son is traumatised and he no longer attends college,” said Shikhar Kesarwani’s father after the Lucknow incident, describing how his outgoing 20-year-old has withdrawn from campus life entirely. Similar sentiments echo from earlier victims. The Hotel Management student in 2017 stopped staying in the hostel; the MBA brothers in 2012 likely never looked at their campus the same way again. Ragging and campus violence instill fear and anxiety in students who should be focused on learning.

A culture of silence often follows where students are scared to speak up about ragging or bullying, lest they face retaliation and little support from authorities. For instance, in the 2017 Noida case, the father noted the college administration initially “paid no heed” when the family complained. It was only after an FIR was filed externally that action was contemplated. Likewise in 2019, Harsh and Madhav went straight to the police after being beaten, perhaps because they felt the campus authorities would be ineffectual or biased.

Amity’s own spokesperson admitted in that case that the university only “found out about the incident from different sources” (not through any internal report) and that no complaint was lodged internally. This suggests a breakdown of trust where students don’t trust the institution to protect them or deliver justice, so they either suffer in silence or seek outside help.

Compounding the problem is the alleged complicity or apathy of some faculty and staff. Recall how in the 2012 MBA ragging, faculty members “watched from a distance but didn’t intervene” as freshers were beaten. In 2019’s melee, classes full of students and presumably lecturers were disrupted by the gang attack; it’s unclear what efforts were taken by staff to control the situation beyond shutting it down after the fact. When campus authority figures fail to step up, it emboldens bullies.

There are also whispers, often shared on student forums, that influential students (especially those from wealthy or politically connected families) get preferential treatment when disciplinary issues arise. For example, in the Jaipur murder case, the prime accused was the grandson of an MLA; in Noida 2019, the altercation involved students driving high-end cars and one side accusing the other of using “goons.” Students cynically note that in some private universities, “money and connections can make problems disappear.” Whether or not that explicitly occurred at Amity, the perception of partiality further discourages victims from coming forward.

It’s worth noting that Amity University, like all Indian universities, nominally has an Anti-Ragging Committee and helplines as mandated by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Posters proclaiming zero tolerance to ragging adorn campus notice boards. In fact, Amity often observes “Anti-Ragging Day” with workshops and student pledges against bullying. Yet, these measures ring hollow when weighed against recurring incidents. As one education expert points out, some institutions “try to hush up” ragging incidents due to image concerns. Unless rules are enforced transparently and impartially, committees on paper do little.

In January 2025, the UGC even warned that college principals and registrars would be held accountable for extreme ragging cases and began conducting surprise campus inspections. Such steps indicate that regulators recognize the problem’s persistence. But on Amity’s campuses, students allege that enforcement is either lax or selective. The result is a pervasive sense of insecurity where many freshmen privately fear hazing when they join (even if formal ragging has “officially” decreased), and older students fear that any personal rivalry can escalate into group violence.

One poignant example of how hostile the climate can become is what happened to Sushant Rohilla, a third-year law student at Amity Law School in Noida (affiliated with IP University). In August 2016, Sushant died by suicide after being debarred from exams over low attendance. He left behind notes indicating despair and a sense of injustice. Classmates recalled him as a bright student (80% scorer, active in debates) who missed classes partly due to extracurricular competitions. The tragedy sparked a furor; students protested that the college was too draconian and unempathetic.

Under pressure, two senior faculty members resigned “taking into account the sentiments of students”. A fact-finding panel, however, gave a clean chit to the administration, toeing the line that rules were followed strictly. Sushant’s suicide was not ragging-related, but it speaks to a different kind of campus strain, an environment seen as unsupportive and excessively bureaucratic, where students feel like cogs in a machine. The disconnect between student well-being and administration evident in that case mirrors the dynamic in ragging incidents: students in distress, and a system more concerned with rules (or reputation) than with resolution or compassion.

Drugs, Bullying, and a Campus Culture in Decline

Discipline issues at Amity aren’t confined to ragging alone. Several drug-related busts and scandals have raised red flags about campus culture. For instance, in late 2023 Noida police cracked a narcotics supply ring that was funneling high-grade marijuana and other drugs into college campuses across the city. Four Amity University students (from law and MBA programs) were among nine people arrested, with ₹30 lakh worth of drugs seized from them. The gang had been cleverly disguising marijuana (“Shillong ganja”) and LSD as e-commerce parcels delivered via bike couriers.

A follow-up raid in January 2024 nabbed five more members, including a fourth-year Amity student who was actively involved in distributing drugs to peers. The police revealed that these students were part of a well-oiled network supplying narcotics to “various educational institutes and hostels” in the area. 

According to a Times of India report, the university did not respond to queries about the incident, though it quietly “suspended the four students” who were arrested and initiated an internal inquiry. The lack of a strong public stance against such behavior struck many as a missed opportunity to send a message. After all, if enrolled students are running drug rackets from the dorms, something is gravely amiss in campus oversight.

Shockingly, even Amity’s own security personnel have been implicated in the on-campus drug trade. In October 2018, two security guards at Amity’s Greater Noida campus were arrested for peddling cannabis to students. Police caught them with over 2.4 kg of marijuana and investigations found the guards had been sourcing from local dealers and selling to Amity students on the side. Although Amity’s administration was quick to distance itself, claiming the guards were hired through a private agency and that the illicit activity happened off-duty/outside campus, the episode lays bare a disturbing reality.

When even those tasked with campus safety exploit access to push drugs to students, it indicates a serious breakdown of discipline and values within the institution. Students and parents have long whispered that some Amity hostels have rampant drug and alcohol use, given the relatively affluent student body and less stringent supervision compared to public universities. These busts provided concrete proof.

In fact, student testimonies online frequently mention a “drug culture” at Amity. One user on a popular Reddit forum wrote bluntly that “Among parents, Amity is infamous due to excessive use of drugs by students on campus and also booze.” This commenter, an apparent ex-student, described Amity as basically “the last resort for parents with deep pockets to send their children to (who have failed in all entrance exams).” In their view, high fees + low academic rigor = party culture, where rich kids who couldn’t get into more competitive colleges indulge in vices away from home.

While this is a generalization (certainly not every Amity student fits that mold), it is telling that this perception exists. It suggests that Amity’s brand image among some of India’s youth has shifted, from a serious academic institution to a byword for privilege and laxity. The Redditor even alleged that Amity “works only on branding,” arguing that its appearances in rankings are more due to infrastructure and diversity metrics than genuine educational quality.

Multiple campuses have had to discipline students over drug possession in recent years. In one case, an Amity (Noida) MBA student was arrested alongside students from Delhi University and JNU for planning to sell 1 kg of hashish during New Year’s Eve parties. In another, as noted, Amity law students themselves turned dealers. Each incident chips away at the academic atmosphere, making it harder for sincere students to focus on studies. A campus where some peers and staff are pushing narcotics is hardly conducive to learning or personal growth.

All these factors, violent ragging, unchecked bullying, rampant substance abuse, feed into each other to create a campus environment that many describe as deteriorating and undisciplined. Where once Amity University marketed itself as a world-class center of excellence (with pristine campuses and high-tech facilities), today’s reality seems messier. It’s not that every Amity student is wayward, far from it. But those who are inclined to mischief appear to face few deterrents.

As one former professor noted in general, institutions must not fear “inimical propaganda” at the cost of covering up incidents; rather, they should “report untoward happenings” swiftly to authorities and act decisively. Amity’s repeated instinct to deny or downplay problems may have done more harm in the long run, enabling a culture of impunity.

Academic Erosion: By the Numbers and Narratives

Discipline is only one side of the coin. Amity University’s academic credentials and performance have also come under scrutiny, with critics suggesting a decline in quality and outcomes over time. For an institution that charges premium tuition (a 4-year degree can cost anywhere from ₹10–20+ lakhs, or about $15,000–$30,000), students and parents expect commensurate results in terms of education and career prospects. Yet many Amity alumni report disappointment.

A key indicator is the university’s position in national rankings and assessments. In the Government’s official National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Amity’s flagship Noida campus has seen fluctuating fortunes. It did achieve a respectable #22 ranking among Indian universities in 2021, but then fell to #35 in 2023. In the latest 2024 rankings (released mid-2025), Amity was ranked 32nd among universities, an improvement from the previous year but still nowhere near the top tier.

Its overall score (56.14/100) was pulled down by relatively low scores in “Teaching & Learning Resources” and “Perception” metrics. Tellingly, Amity’s peer perception score, which reflects academic reputation, stood around 30/100, indicating that academic circles don’t rate it very highly. The institution’s research output is middling too; the NIRF “Research and Professional Practice” score was about 50/100, far behind top universities in India. And while Amity touts its global links, its QS World University Ranking places it only in the 1001+ band globally, hardly a stellar standing.

Another sign of academic health is accreditation. Amity University’s older campuses (like Noida) do boast NAAC A+ accreditation. However, some of the newer branches have lagged. For example, Amity University Kolkata (established mid-2010s) had no NAAC accreditation as of 2023, according to a discussion on Reddit. One user warned that from 2024 onwards, unaccredited private colleges could face admission embargoes as per new regulations. If true, Amity Kolkata would urgently need to get accredited or risk penalties.

The fact that such a large university system expanded to multiple states without uniformly ensuring quality benchmarks suggests an emphasis on growth over consolidation of standards. Indeed, Amity’s rapid expansion with campuses in Noida, Lucknow, Jaipur, Gurugram, Gwalior, Mumbai, Raipur, Kolkata, Patna, Mohali and more might have stretched its faculty and resources thin. Some students feel they are essentially paying IIT-level fees for an experience that is “not as good as people where there is decent faculty and infrastructure, but lacking strong placements”, at least in certain newer campuses.

Faculty turnover and morale is another concern often raised sotto voce. While hard data on faculty attrition isn’t public, anecdotal evidence hints at issues. On employee review boards, some Amity faculty have pointed out the lack of time for research or development, saying “Management needs to allow more time for faculty development and research work”. This hints that professors might be over-burdened with teaching or admin work, limiting academic innovation.

High teaching loads, coupled with a focus on student enrollment numbers, can sap a university’s academic vigor. There have been instances of faculty exiting under troubling circumstances. For example, after Sushant Rohilla’s suicide, the director and a faculty of the law school resigned in 2016 amid student uproar. While those resignations were portrayed as noble, they could also be seen as tacit acknowledgments of systemic academic and pastoral care failings.

The output that matters most to students are job placements, which also tells a sobering tale. Amity’s glossy brochures brag of Fortune 500 recruiters and high salary packages for a lucky few. But looking at the averages and medians gives a more realistic picture. According to one placement report, the median salary for Amity Noida undergraduates was around ₹4–5 LPA (lakhs per annum), i.e. roughly ₹4,00,000 to ₹5,00,000 per year. Even for postgraduates, average offers can hover in the single-digit lakhs. Collegedunia, an education portal, notes “the average package lies around 3.5–4.5 LPA” for Amity, and many students “get placed with just ₹1.8–2.5 LPA” at the lower end.

In other words, some graduates are starting jobs at salaries of barely $2,500–$4,000 per year are not uncommon in India’s fresh graduate market, but a poor return on investment for a family that may have spent $20,000 or more on that education. Even Amity’s own touted figure of average ~₹9.6 LPA (which likely applies to certain programs like engineering or MBA) doesn’t impress when one considers that an engineering grad from a top government college often earns equal or better.

As one Reddit user quipped, “the high fees and very low ROI is something due to which Amity is infamous among students.” That sentiment, widely echoed on forums, indicates that many feel Amity’s education is not value for money academically. Of course, Amity still produces successful alumni and has areas of strength. Its campuses boast excellent infrastructure of modern classrooms, labs, libraries, and even amenities like horseback riding and swimming pools. It has expanded programs in diverse fields and often highlights its international collaborations. However, the gloss of infrastructure cannot fully mask issues in academic culture. A university’s quality is ultimately defined by its people and ethos, the students, faculty, and the values upheld.

Here, the recurring stories of cheating (allegations of mass plagiarism have surfaced occasionally), rote learning, and lack of intellectual rigor surface in student critiques. Some alumni have positive things to say; for instance, an alum from Kolkata campus contended that “many critiques are based on brand perception, not academics. Amity Kolkata has decent faculty, solid infrastructure, and discipline, but lacks strong placement in some streams.” It suggests that experiences can vary by campus; perhaps some newer or smaller branches maintain tighter discipline and focus. Yet, by and large, the Amity brand has taken a hit due to the factors discussed.

In conclusion, the story of Amity University is at a crossroads. It can either continue on the path of complacency, with more viral videos of campus horrors and gradually eroding academic credence, or it can reckon with the uncomfortable truths and reform. The incidents of ragging and torture, whether recorded or unrecorded, are a blemish on Indian higher education which no amount of advertising can conceal. If Amity truly wishes to be a “leading education group” as it calls itself, it must prove that the safety and growth of its students come first, beyond profits or prestige. Only by protecting its students and upholding discipline can it foster an environment where academia thrives.

For every Shikhar who is rescued from abuse, for every Justin whose justice is still awaited, and for every Sushant whose voice was lost too soon, Amity owes it to them to change. The onus is now on the university’s leadership to ensure that “ragging culture” and lawless behavior are eradicated from all its campuses. Students and society will be watching closely. The fate of Amity’s reputation and more importantly, the well-being of thousands of young Amitians hangs in the balance. The time to act is now, before any more “horrifying cases” emerge from the shadows.