Tezpur Univ protests intensify as students hold hunger strike over VC removal

Tezpur University remained largely shut on Dec 15 as students, faculty members, and staff held a nine-hour hunger strike, pressing the Ministry of Education to act on demands that include the removal of Vice Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh over alleged financial irregularities.

The protest was organized by the Tezpur University United Forum, a collective of students, teachers, and non-teaching employees, and began at 9 am.

Agitators said the demonstration was aimed at forcing a response from the ministry, which they accuse of remaining silent despite weeks of unrest on campus.

"The strike aims to demand swift action from the MoE against Singh. The MoE has been ignoring the community’s growing frustration over the ministry’s continued silence despite sustained agitation and repeated appeals," the forum said in a statement.

The university has been under an indefinite shutdown since late November, with limited relaxation granted only for term-end examinations that began last week. Academic and administrative activities otherwise remain suspended.

The forum also criticized what it described as a lack of follow-through after assurances given earlier this month.

Questioning the delay, it said, "Even after multiple informal assurances, the ministry has failed to provide adequate resolution as promised by them on Dec 6."

A senior delegation from the Ministry of Education, led by Secretary Vineet Joshi, visited the campus on Dec 6 but was unable to leave for several hours after students blocked the main gate.

The officials were allowed to exit close to midnight following a handwritten assurance by Department of Higher Education Joint Secretary Saumya Gupta stating that Singh would not be permitted to perform official duties pending an inquiry.

Despite this assurance, the protesters said no concrete steps have been taken so far. The forum asserted that the "responsibility for restoring academic and administrative normalcy lies with the MoE" and warned of intensified protests if decisive action is not taken soon.

The demands include Singh’s removal, a fair and impartial high-level inquiry, and placing him on administrative leave.

Tezpur University has seen sustained protests since mid-September. Tensions escalated after students accused the vice chancellor and university authorities of disrespecting cultural icon Zubeen Garg during a period of public mourning.

The agitation has since expanded to include allegations of financial misconduct and deforestation during Singh’s tenure.

On Dec 5, the university’s senior-most faculty member, Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharyya, assumed charge as acting vice chancellor on his own initiative, citing provisions of the Tezpur University Act, 1993.

Following his intervention, students agreed to appear for term-end examinations starting Dec 11, though the broader shutdown continued.

Singh has not returned to campus since Sept 22, when a confrontation with students led to heated exchanges and a volatile situation.

He later convened a virtual meeting of the Board of Management on Dec 4 and appointed Professor Joya Chakraborty of the Mass Communication Department as pro vice chancellor, a position she declined.

As the hunger strike concluded, protesters reiterated that the standoff would continue until the ministry takes clear and time-bound action on their demands.