The student fraternity at Tezpur University (TU) staged a nine-hour hunger strike on Monday, demanding the immediate removal of vice-chancellor S.N. Singh over alleged financial irregularities and administrative mismanagement.
Teachers and non-teaching staff of the central varsity extended support to the strike, which formed part of an ongoing agitation that began on November 27 seeking Singh’s removal. The student fraternity has also decided to boycott all academic and administrative activities until the issue is formally resolved, a protesting student said.
Singh has been facing protests since September 21 after the university conducted classes and student council elections while the state was observing mourning following the death of popular singer-composer Zubeen Garg in Singapore on September 19.
The hunger strike, held from 9am to 6pm on Monday, was triggered by what students described as a delay by the ministry of education (MoE) in formally endorsing decisions taken at a December 6 meeting involving a three-member MoE team, students, teachers and non-teaching staff.
According to a TU statement, the official minutes of that meeting recorded that the department of higher education “is committed to initiate a strict and time-bound inquiry against Dr. Singh and during the pendency of the inquiry, Dr. Singh shall not be administering the University. It was further recorded and signed that till further decision, status quo be maintained i.e. Prof. Bhattacharyya shall remain as Acting Vice Chancellor.”
The central team’s visit followed the assumption of charge by senior-most faculty member Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharyya as acting vice-chancellor on the night of December 4 during the protest. Bhattacharyya took charge after the university community “collectively” approached him, opposing the board of members’ reported decision to appoint Joya Chakraborty from the mass communication department as pro vice-chancellor.
The MoE team had assured on December 6 that an inquiry against the vice-chancellor would be initiated by December 9, but no formal communication has been issued so far.
A student claimed: “At around 1pm today, an education ministry official had sent a WhatsApp message to a senior teacher, assuring of a concrete action by December 19. Our question is why they can’t say it formally in writing? What is stopping them. The university fraternity remains steadfast in their demand for removal of Singh. We want action, not assurance.”
Singh has not been seen on campus since September 22.
The Tezpur University United Forum (TUUF), comprising students, teachers and non-teaching staff, said the MoE’s continued silence despite sustained agitation has deepened frustration across the campus. Monday marked the 86th day of protest against the vice-chancellor.
In a statement on Sunday, students said: “We are planning a public convention in Guwahati on December 19 on the crisis plaguing the university. If we don’t get any response by December 19, we will sit on an indefinite fast.”