Tezpur University shutdown enters 6th day as proposal rejected

The shutdown by students of Tezpur University in Assam entered its sixth day on Thursday over their demand for the removal of the vice-chancellor, while staffers of the varsity rejected Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s proposal for the appointment of a pro VC.

State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi has also accused Sarma of “masking the failures” of current VC Shambhu Nath Singh by suggesting the appointment of a pro vice chancellor.

The students of the varsity have been protesting since mid-September for alleged corruption and financial irregularities, and have started the shutdown of all academic activities on the campus from November 29 for an indefinite period. A faculty member said the shutdown has been relaxed for departmental emergencies and pending work for a few hours in the morning for three days since Wednesday.

Sarma on Wednesday said he had spoken to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan regarding the shutdown of Tezpur University and urged him to appoint a pro VC immediately, pending an impartial enquiry into the conduct of the present VC.

“The Tezpur University fraternity strongly rebuts the Assam chief minister’s recent statement regarding the ongoing crisis on the campus. His suggestion to appoint a pro vice chancellor reflects a clear misunderstanding of the movement’s long-standing and repeatedly communicated demand: the urgent appointment of an acting vice chancellor,” Tezpur University United Forum (TUUF) said in a statement late on Wednesday.

The ongoing agitation in the central varsity in Sonitpur district is being carried out under the aegis of the TUUF.

The forum also claimed that the university has been in “turmoil” for 76 days, and during the entire period, the chief minister “chose to remain silent”.

“His sudden involvement - only after the situation gained national attention - raises serious concern about whether he is acting out of genuine responsibility or political self-preservation,” the TUUF questioned.

The chief minister “ignored the crisis for weeks” despite continuous protests, appeals and institutional paralysis, the forum alleged, adding that “leadership demands timely engagement, not last-minute statements”.

“Our demands remain unchanged - immediate suspension of the current vice chancellor, pending enquiry, appointment of an acting vice chancellor — not a pro-VC and publication of all inquiry reports already submitted to authorities,” the TUUF added.

Gogoi has also expressed his ‘disappointment’ with the chief minister’s stand on the issues.

“Real leadership would have meant that the chief minister would have stood with the faculty, staff and students of this prestigious university. Instead, the chief minister is masking the failures of the current vice chancellor by suggesting a pro vice chancellor,” he said in a post on X on Thursday.

Citing old news reports, Gogoi claimed that there were “enquiries about financial irregularities from the office of Principal Accountant General” during Singh’s term as VC of Patna University in Bihar.

“It would be best that the prestige of Tezpur University should be paramount, and a new Vice Chancellor be appointed. Stop using the University of Northeast for posting controversial VCs,” the Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha added.

All end-term examinations have been cancelled, and other activities have also stopped in the varsity.

The Tezpur University Teachers’ Association (TUTA) and Tezpur University Non-Teaching Employees’ Association (TUNTEA) have extended their support to the agitation.

The VC abstained from the campus after the university had witnessed noisy scenes and an exchange of words between him and students on September 22, leading to a situation where Singh had to leave the spot.