Tezpur University protest hits day 74 as protesters wait for resolution, VC's suspension

The prolonged unrest at Tezpur University has reached the 74-day mark, with the campus remaining under complete shutdown as students, faculty members, and non-teaching staff intensify their call for accountability and institutional reform.

The series of protest, which began on September 21, saw a complete lockdown of the university campus on November 29, that brought all academic and administrative operations to a standstill. Demonstrators continue to raise slogans accusing Vice-Chancellor Professor Shambhu Nath Singh of administrative irregularities, financial mismanagement, infrastructural neglect, and insensitivity toward public sentiment.

The agitators have demanded immediate suspension of Vice-Chancellor Singh, who since September 21-22 has been “absconding” during the crisis. They also insist on appointing an acting vice-chancellor to ensure stability and restore functional order during what they describe as an unprecedented institutional breakdown.

Tezpur University, although a Central institution, holds special cultural and historical significance in Assam, having been established under the Assam Accord in 1994. Public and political stakeholders have warned that the present “alarming and volatile” situation requires intervention at the highest level, urging the state and Central Government to prevent further deterioration.

Protest representatives claim to have submitted new evidence concerning alleged misconduct by the Vice-Chancellor. They are demanding the immediate release of inquiry reports compiled by a governor-appointed fact-finding committee and another by the Union Ministry of Education.

With stakeholders reaffirming that the shutdown will remain indefinite, the university community has appealed for urgent Central Government intervention to ensure transparency, accountability, and protection of institutional integrity.