Senior professor Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharyya assumes charge as Acting Vice Chancellor of Tezpur University

In a significant development amid mounting unrest, senior faculty member Dr Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharyya on Thursday, December 4 accepted the responsibility of acting Vice Chancellor of Tezpur University, stepping in as the campus continues to reel under intense student and faculty protests.

The decision comes after a dramatic escalation on campus following reports of the alleged appointment of Prof. Dr. Joya Chakraborty as the university’s Pro-Vice Chancellor, a move that triggered widespread outrage. Though no official notification regarding her appointment has been issued yet, students and faculty members have vehemently opposed the development, calling it “arbitrary” and “non-consultative.”

The appointment of Dr Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharya as Acting Vice Chancellor comes through an Act of 1993 of Tezpur University which clearly mentions: Under Statute 2(6) of the Second Schedule of the Tezpur University Act, 1993, “If the office of the Vice-Chancellor becomes vacant due to death, resignation or otherwise, or if he is unable to perform his duties due to ill health or any other cause, the Pro-ViceChancellor shall perform the duties of the Vice-Chancellor: Provided that if the Pro-ViceChancellor is not available, the senior-most Professor shall perform the duties of the ViceChancellor until a new Vice-Chancellor assumes office or until the existing Vice-Chancellor attends to the duties of his office, as the case may be.”

"Given the Vice-Chancellor’s prolonged absence from the University headquarters, it is evident
that he is currently unable to perform the duties of the office, thereby activating the
application of Statute 2(6)", stated an official notice by Tezpur University.

The notice further states, "Additionally, Section 40 of the Tezpur University Act provides legal protection to all officers and employees acting in good faith under the Act, Statutes, or Ordinances: “No suit or other legal proceedings shall lie against any officer or other employee of the University for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done in pursuance of any of the provisions of this Act, the Statutes or the Ordinances.”

"This statutory safeguard ensures that actions taken to restore administrative continuity are both
lawful and protected. In view of the ongoing administrative vacuum, escalating campus unrest, and the absence of functioning leadership, we collectively believe that the University must now invoke
Statute 2(6) of the Second Schedule without delay. We therefore request your endorsement to authorize the senior-most Professor of Tezpur University to perform the duties of the Vice-Chancellor on a temporary basis", concluded the notice thus paving way for Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharyya to assume the charge of Acting VC of Tezpur University.

Dr. Bhattacharyya, a senior-most professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, is widely respected within the academic community. His acceptance of the acting VC role is being seen as a stabilising step at a time when the university has witnessed six consecutive days of campus shutdown due to the protests.

Unrest intensified on Thursday night as agitating students burned tyres, marched across the premises, and shouted slogans demanding the withdrawal of the alleged appointment and the removal of Vice Chancellor Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh. The prolonged dissatisfaction with the VC’s leadership has been a key trigger in the ongoing agitation.

Faculty members have also joined the chorus, expressing concern over what they describe as a “collapse of transparency” in administrative decisions. Many have urged the Union Ministry of Education to intervene immediately to restore order and ensure accountability in the appointment process.