100 days on, Assam's Tezpur University protest enters hunger strike phase

After 100 days of continuous agitation without any resolution, stakeholders of Tezpur University launched a 24-hour hunger strike on December 29, escalating their protest against Vice-Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh over alleged corruption and administrative irregularities.

The hunger strike, which began at midnight and is scheduled to continue till 11.59 pm, is being jointly observed by students, teachers and non-teaching staff under the banner of the Tezpur University United Forum (TUUF). The move comes amid growing frustration over what the forum describes as prolonged inaction by authorities despite months of peaceful demonstrations.

Located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra in Assam’s Sonitpur district, the university has seen intensified protests since November 29, with academic and administrative activity repeatedly disrupted. Protesters are demanding the removal of the vice-chancellor and a formal inquiry into his alleged involvement in financial and administrative irregularities.

TUUF members said the completion of 100 days of protest marks a significant moment, not for any breakthrough, but for the absence of a response. They alleged that the vice-chancellor has remained largely absent from campus while authorities have failed to provide any concrete assurance, pushing the institution into what they described as administrative paralysis.

Associations representing faculty and staff — including the Tezpur University Teachers’ Association and the Tezpur University Non-Teaching Employees’ Association — have joined the students in the hunger strike, calling it a collective expression of dissent and moral pressure.

Protesters argue that the issue goes beyond the university and raises wider questions about accountability in public institutions. They also allege ecological damage on campus, including deforestation carried out during Singh’s tenure, adding to concerns over governance.

The situation has remained tense since mid-September, when students accused the vice-chancellor and the university administration of showing disrespect towards cultural icon Zubeen Garg during a period of public mourning. Matters escalated on September 22 following a heated confrontation between students and the vice-chancellor, after which he stopped attending the campus.

Since the agitation began, at least 11 faculty members and senior officials have either resigned from their posts or left the university, underscoring the depth of the crisis as the protest enters its fourth month.