Assam: Bodo students union demands for ouster of Bodoland University VC over corruption charges

The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) today staged a protest in the premises of the Bodoland University in Kokrajhar while demanding for the removal of Vice Chancellor Dr Laishram Ladu Singh.

The ABSU is seeking the removal of Dr Singh as the Bodoland University VC after he was arrested on corruption charges by the Directorate of Vigilance & Anti Corruption and the Chief Minister's Vigilance Cell. 

The ABSU has been consistently protesting over the last few days demanding for the removal of the Vice Chancellor. They have already announced that they are set to hold a major protest over the matter on October 11. 

ABSU president Dipen Boro said that the protest would continue till the Vice Chancellor is removed. 

"We are appealing to the Chief Minister that the government should remove the bail that has been granted to him (the VC) by Gauhati High Court through a public prosecutor and have him arrested. Or else this protest would continue indefinitely and the university will remain closed for an indefinite period. We will be forced to gherao the Governor's House and also block the National Highway. Because lives of students have been destroyed during the tenure of this VC," said the ABSU president. 

The protesting students also slammed the members of the inquiry committee set up by the Governor of Assam, which include Dr. Mihir Kanti Choudhury of Secretariat Adviser Governor House, Additional Chief Secretary to Government of Assam Higher Education Department, Professor S.K. Dev of the Department of Civil Engineering in IIT Guwahati  and Dr. B.B. Misra, the Finance Officer in Tezpur University.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the investigation process of the inquiry committee, the ABSU demanded immediate removal of Dr L. Ladu Singh from the post of VC. 

A case of embezzlement of a huge sum of money from the university was registered against the vice chancellor on May 30th last year. The CM Vigilance Cell seized three files each from the university documents. Vice-Chancellor Dr L Ladu Singh later got bail after his arrest.