Tezpur University: Students stage 9-hour hunger strike demanding VC's removal in Assam

TEZPUR: Students and other stakeholders of Tezpur University on Monday staged a nine-hour hunger strike, demanding a response from the Ministry of Education (MoE) on issues raised by them, including the immediate removal of Vice-Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh over alleged financial irregularities.

The university has remained under a shutdown enforced by the agitators since the end of November, with limited relaxation being allowed for the conduct of term-end examinations since last week.

The Tezpur University United Forum (TUUF), a joint platform of students, teachers and non-teaching staffers under the aegis of which protests have been going on, said the hunger strike was held from 9 am.

"The strike aims to demand swift action from the MoE against Singh. The MoE has been ignoring the community’s growing frustration over the ministry’s continued silence despite sustained agitation and repeated appeals," TUUF said in a statement.

Questioning the ‘prolonged silence’ of the MoE, it added, "Even after multiple informal assurances, the ministry has failed to provide adequate resolution as promised by them on December 6."

A top delegation of the MoE, led by secretary Vineet Joshi, had visited the university on December 6, but was stuck inside the campus as students blocked the gate.

The team was finally allowed to leave around midnight following a handwritten assurance on a blank piece of paper by delegation member and Department of Higher Education’s joint secretary Saumya Gupta that Singh will not be allowed to carry out any duty pending inquiry.

The TUUF maintained that the "responsibility for restoring academic and administrative normalcy lies with the MoE" and warned that protests will intensify if decisive action is not taken without further delay.

They reiterated their demands for Singh's removal, fair and unbiased high-level inquiry against him, and placing him on official administrative leave.

The varsity, located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra in Sonitpur district, had been under complete shutdown since November 29 as a joint forum of all stakeholders has demanded the removal of the VC and an inquiry against him.

The situation had been tense since mid-September, with students accusing the VC and varsity authorities of not showing due respect to cultural icon Zubeen Garg even as the state was mourning his death.

Apart from fiscal irregularities, the agitators are also protesting alleged deforestation carried out under Singh's administration.

The senior-most faculty member, Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharyya, had assumed charge as acting vice-chancellor suo motu on December 5, citing the Tezpur University Act, 1993.

At his request, the students had agreed to sit for the term-end examinations from December 11, though other activities in this central university remained under the shutdown.

Singh has stayed away from the campus after the university witnessed heated scenes and an exchange of words between him and students on September 22, leading to a situation where Singh had to nearly flee the spot.

He had convened a virtual meeting of the Board of Management (BOM) on December 4, and appointed Mass Communication Professor Joya Chakraborty as pro-VC, a role she declined.