Tezpur University stakeholders welcome MoE probe but vow to continue stir

Students, teachers and employees of Tezpur University have welcomed the Ministry of Education’s decision to constitute an enquiry committee to examine the ongoing crisis at the central university, including allegations levelled against Vice-Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh.

However, they have made it clear that their agitation will not be fully withdrawn until the committee’s findings deliver what they describe as justice for all stakeholders.

The Assam-based university, located in Sonitpur district on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, has been gripped by sustained protests since mid-September.

The agitation reached a symbolic milestone earlier this week, with protesters observing a 24-hour hunger strike to mark 100 days of their movement against alleged irregularities under the current vice-chancellor’s tenure.

In an order issued on Wednesday, the Ministry of Education asked Singh to proceed on leave and announced the formation of a three-member enquiry committee to investigate the allegations against him. The panel has been given up to three months to submit its report.

In a joint statement, the Tezpur University Teachers’ Association, the Tezpur University Non-Teaching Employees’ Association and student representatives thanked the ministry for what they called a decisive intervention in a prolonged institutional crisis.

They said the move had raised “strong hope and cautious optimism” that the enquiry would be conducted in a fair, transparent and comprehensive manner, without political interference, external pressure or institutional bias.

The stakeholders stressed that the panel must objectively examine all allegations and circumstances surrounding the unrest, and said the process should ultimately lead to accountability, including the removal of the vice-chancellor if the charges are established.

They also assured full cooperation with the enquiry committee and said they were prepared to welcome the newly appointed pro vice-chancellor to the campus. The Ministry of Education has named Amrendra Kumar Das of the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati’s Department of Design as the pro vice-chancellor of Tezpur University.

Despite these developments, the stakeholders underlined that the agitation would continue in some form until the enquiry’s conclusions clearly uphold justice and address their demands.

The unrest at the university has been fuelled by multiple issues, including allegations of financial irregularities and claims of deforestation and ecological damage on the scenic campus during Singh’s administration. Tensions escalated in September after students accused the vice-chancellor and the university leadership of showing disrespect to cultural icon Zubeen Garg at a time when the state was mourning his death.

The situation turned volatile on 22 September, when heated exchanges between the vice-chancellor and students reportedly forced him to leave the campus. Since the protests began, at least 11 faculty members and senior officials have resigned from their positions or from the university altogether, highlighting the depth of the crisis facing the institution.

With PTI inputs