Tezpur University turmoil peaks: Dean and T&P deputy director step down as student uprising hits day 55

The crisis at Tezpur University deepened on November 14 as two key officials stepped down amid relentless student agitation that has now entered its 55th day. 

The ongoing movement, led largely by students of the School of Engineering, escalated sharply when they directly confronted Deputy Director of the Training and Placement (T&P) Cell Dr. Pijush Chandra Das and Dean of the School of Engineering Prof. Shankar Chandra Deka over mounting allegations of negligence and administrative failure.

With the higher authorities yet to offer any concrete response, students shifted their focus to officials immediately responsible for training infrastructure, placement support, and academic functioning. 

They accused the T&P Cell of chronic mismanagement, including lapses in essential training facilities, mishandling of funds earmarked for student development, and persistent failure to provide adequate placement assistance. 

Students alleged that despite repeated appeals over the past several months, their grievances were met with indifference, leaving them disadvantaged during critical phases of career preparation.

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During the confrontation, Dr. Das deflected responsibility, attributing the lapses to Finance Officer Dr. Braja Bandhu Mishra and the absent Vice Chancellor Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh. He claimed that crucial decisions on funds and approvals lay beyond his authority. His remarks only fuelled student anger, exposing what they say is a deeper pattern of bureaucratic opacity and institutional dysfunction that has persisted for years.

The turmoil intensified when Prof. Deka, facing accusations of administrative negligence and delayed grievance redressal, submitted his resignation as Dean of the School of Engineering. 

Shortly thereafter, Dr. Das announced that he, too, would no longer continue in his role and requested to be relieved of all duties, signalling a dramatic collapse of administrative stability within the University’s engineering and placement wings.

Day 55 of the uprising has underscored the depth of frustration gripping the student community, who maintain that their movement is not an act of defiance but a call for transparency, accountability, and effective governance. 

With key officials now stepping aside and the Vice Chancellor still unresponsive, students insist they will continue their mobilisation until structural reforms are initiated and a functional administrative system is restored.