Tezpur University VC sent on leave as protests intensify, inquiry panel formed

Tezpur University Vice-Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh has been directed to proceed on immediate leave as the Centre constituted a three-member inquiry committee to investigate allegations of financial irregularities and administrative lapses, amid sustained protests by students and staff.

A senior official in the Education Ministry said on January 1 that Singh will remain on leave until the completion of the inquiry, which is expected to submit its report within three months.

The probe panel will be headed by Manipur University Vice-Chancellor Prof N Lokendra Singh, with Nagaland University Vice-Chancellor Prof Jagadish Kumar Patnaik and UGC Secretary Manish R Joshi as members. The committee has been constituted by the President of India, the Visitor of the central university.

Tezpur University has been gripped by unrest since September, with students and faculty demanding Singh’s removal over alleged financial irregularities and his prolonged absence from campus. The agitation escalated in November when protesters announced an academic shutdown, followed earlier this week by a 24-hour hunger strike, marking 100 days of protest.

The inquiry panel will examine all aspects of the ongoing crisis, including allegations against the Vice-Chancellor, the findings of an earlier fact-finding committee, and the circumstances that led to administrative instability at the university, including multiple resignations by senior officials.

During the peak of the agitation, several university functionaries — including the then registrar in-charge — stepped down from their positions.

The earlier fact-finding committee, led by IIT Guwahati Director Devendra Jalihal, was constituted by Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, the Chancellor of Tezpur University, in October. Its report was submitted to the Governor, the Centre informed Parliament last month.

In December, a high-level Education Ministry team led by Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi visited the campus and held discussions with protesting students and staff.

Meanwhile, the ministry has appointed Prof Amrendra Kumar Das of the Department of Design at IIT Guwahati as Pro Vice-Chancellor of Tezpur University until further orders, a decision communicated to the registrar in-charge on January 7.

Singh was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the central university in 2023 for a five-year term.