Tezpur University non-teaching staff hold sit-in, back students’ demand for VC’s removal

Members of the Tezpur University Non-Teaching Employees’ Association (TUNTEA) on December 24 staged a sit-in protest near the main gate of Tezpur University, expressing solidarity with the ongoing student-led movement demanding the removal of absconding Vice Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh.

The protest was organised against what the association described as a deepening crisis at the university, arising from a stalemate that has continued for over three months. According to TUNTEA, the prolonged deadlock has led to serious academic and administrative paralysis, with several important files and decisions remaining pending, creating uncertainty across the campus.

The association expressed strong concern over the lack of intervention by the Ministry of Education, stating that repeated representations by students, faculty and non-teaching staff have failed to elicit any response. The continued silence, they said, has only intensified frustration within the university community.

Addressing the protesters, TUNTEA president Dr Gautam Kumar Sarma said that despite sustained agitations over the past three months, no official communication has been received from the Ministry of Education, leaving the institution in a state of governance vacuum and adversely affecting its functioning.

The association urged the Ministry to take immediate steps to restore democratic and statutory governance at Tezpur University. General Secretary Partha Pratim Choudhury said the sit-in protest would continue until the demands are addressed and normal academic and administrative normalcy is restored on the campus.