In a significant development, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has directed the Vice-Chancellor of Tezpur University, Shambhu Nath Singh, to proceed on immediate leave. This move comes nearly three months after sustained protests erupted on the campus, demanding his removal over a series of serious allegations.
Mounting Pressure Leads to Central Intervention
The decision, announced on Wednesday, follows mounting pressure from students and faculty members who have been agitating since mid-September. The protesters, who recently marked 100 days of continuous agitation with a 24-hour hunger strike, accused the VC of administrative, financial, and environmental irregularities during his tenure. Their primary demand was Singh's removal and immediate intervention by the central government.
A senior MoE official stated, "A three-member enquiry panel has been set up to examine all matters relating to the ongoing situation at Tezpur University, including allegations levelled against the VC. The VC shall recuse himself from all duties and proceed on leave with immediate effect, and shall remain on leave till the completion of the enquiry."
Composition of the Probe Committee and Interim Arrangements
The high-level enquiry committee has been tasked with submitting its report within a maximum period of three months. The panel will be headed by Prof. N Lokendra Singh, the Vice-Chancellor of Manipur University. The other members are Prof. Jagadish Kumar Patnaik, VC of Nagaland University, and Mr. Manish R Joshi, Secretary of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
To ensure the continuity of academic and administrative functions, the ministry has appointed Prof. Amrendra Kumar Das from the Department of Design at IIT Guwahati as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Tezpur University on an interim basis. This appointment aligns with earlier appeals from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to appoint a Pro-VC to restore stability on the troubled campus.
Roots of the Crisis: From Cultural Snub to Ecological Concerns
The unrest at Tezpur University, one of Assam's two central universities established in 1994 under the Assam Accord, began in late September. Initial tensions flared when students accused the university leadership of failing to show due respect to cultural icon Zubeen Garg during a period of public mourning in the state.
However, the protests soon expanded beyond the cultural controversy. Demonstrators raised grave concerns over alleged financial mismanagement and claimed that large-scale deforestation and ecological damage were carried out on the scenic campus under Singh's administration. The situation reached a boiling point on September 22, when heated exchanges reportedly occurred between the VC and protesting students, forcing Singh to stay away from the campus thereafter.
The prolonged crisis has taken a severe toll on the institution's faculty and administration. Since the agitation began, at least 11 faculty members and senior officials have either resigned from their positions or left the university, highlighting the depth of the institutional turmoil.
The formation of the enquiry committee and the VC's forced leave represent the Centre's most direct intervention yet, aiming to investigate the allegations thoroughly and pave the way for normalcy at the prestigious university.
