Tezpur University shut down as students demand suspension of VC

Students of Tezpur University in Assam have intensified their protest against Vice Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh, shutting down the campus and halting all academic activities until their demands are met.

The central university in Sonitpur district has been non-functional since Nov 29, with end-term examinations officially canceled due to the indefinite lockdown.

The agitation, led by the Tezpur University United Forum (TUUF), has received full backing from the Tezpur University Teachers' Association (TUTA) and the Non-Teaching Employees' Association, leaving the university paralyzed for the past four days.

The Vice Chancellor has remained away from campus since tensions escalated on Sept 22, when a heated exchange with students nearly forced him to flee.

"Our protest continued for the third month, but no concrete step has been taken yet. So, we intensified our agitation and started the lockdown. Students, faculty, and non-teaching staff are united with just one uncompromising demand: immediate suspension of the absconding VC," a TUUF student member said.

The unrest began following allegations that university authorities failed to show respect to cultural icon Zubeen Garg during state mourning.

The Sonitpur District Administration later ordered a magisterial probe, while a fact-finding committee appointed by the Assam Governor also visited the campus.

"Our demand also includes immediate publication of the inquiry reports prepared by both the governor's Fact-Finding Committee and the subsequent team from the Union Ministry of Education," the TUUF member added.

The indefinite lockdown will continue until the students, faculty, and staff are assured of suspension, transparency, and accountability, the forum stated.

Supporting the movement, TUTA President Kusum Kumar Bania said, "The VC has been absent from the university for the last 74 days, even though a fact-finding committee and a delegation from the Ministry of Education visited the campus nearly one and a half months ago.”

“During this period, our students continued their protest peacefully for 70 days, demonstrating remarkable restraint and responsibility. However, there is a limit to how long they can wait, and this is something the government must recognize with urgency," Bania added.

Bania added that the prolonged absence of the VC has brought university administration to a halt, causing hardship for students, teachers, and staff.

"On behalf of the TUTA, I state unequivocally that we, teachers and non-teaching staff, respect and stand in solidarity with the students' decision. The government must take immediate and decisive action to restore normalcy and ensure the timely resolution of this crisis," he said.

Earlier, Assam Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan raised the matter in the upper house, highlighting that the university, established under an Act of Parliament in 1994 as part of the Assam Accord, cannot remain in limbo.

"The students are staging dharna and protests, and no sincere attempt has been made to resolve the impasse. Several facts and pieces of information surfaced in the public domain regarding irregularities and corruption, which are taking place under direct and tacit approval of the authority," he said.

"The VC, who has not been on campus for more than two months, cannot escape responsibility simply by keeping away from the university," Bhuyan added.

Bhuyan continued, "The need of the hour is to bring back the educational atmosphere to normalcy. For one individual, the highest temple of learning cannot be allowed to suffer. The government should be cautious in the matter of appointment of VCs, and any extraneous consideration should not be pursued in appointing VCs."

The administration has formally canceled end-term examinations due to the lockdown, marking the first time in the university's history that academic schedules have been altered because of a student-led protest.

The ongoing agitation has also prompted at least 11 faculty and staff members to resign, beginning with PRO Samaresh Barman.

The latest resignation came from Finance Officer Braja Bandhu Mishra. Other resignees include the in-charge registrar and several deans, directors, and assistant deans.