The Tezpur University fraternity has rejected Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s request to the Centre to appoint a pro vice-chancellor to the strife-hit institution.

Sarma posted on X on Wednesday evening about his interaction with Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan earlier in the day over the crisis at Tezpur University. Sarma said he had urged Pradhan to appoint a pro vice-chancellor immediately, “pending an impartial enquiry into the conduct of the present vice-chancellor, so that academic stability is maintained”.

However, the university fraternity comprising students, teachers and non-teaching staff, promptly dismissed the suggestion, asserting that Sarma’s appeal to Pradhan “reflects a clear misunderstanding of the movement’s long-standing and repeatedly communicated demand: the urgent appointment of an acting vice-chancellor”.

A pro vice-chancellor is a permanent position assisting the vice-chancellor, while an acting vice-chancellor is a temporary position discharging the functions of the vice-chancellor in his absence until a permanent appointment is made.

Incumbent vice-chancellor Prof Shambhu Nath Singh has not been seen on campus since September 22, according to the protesters.

“For 76 days, Tezpur University has been in turmoil. During this entire period… Sarma chose to remain silent. His sudden involvement — only after the situation gained national attention — raises serious concern about whether he is acting out of genuine responsibility or political self-preservation,” the university fraternity said in a statement late on Wednesday night.

Expressing disappointment with Sarma for having “ignored the crisis for weeks despite continuous protests, appeals and institutional paralysis”, the statement said: “Leadership demands timely engagement, not last-minute statements. Our demands remain unchanged: immediate suspension of the current vice-chancellor pending enquiry, appointment of an acting vice-chancellor — not a pro-VC — and publication of all inquiry reports already submitted to authorities.”

On Tuesday, Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam, flagged the Tezpur University crisis in the House, seeking the intervention of the Union education minister “to restore congenial atmosphere in the university”.

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi had earlier petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the issue over allegations of corruption and mismanagement against the incumbent vice-chancellor of the university.

The ongoing protest — led by students, teaching staff and non-teaching staff — started on November 27. But the campus has been in protest mode since September 21, when the authorities went ahead with regular classes and the student council elections amid state mourning over the death of Zubeen Garg.

On Monday, the finance officer resigned from his post amid the protest. On Tuesday, the university postponed examinations that were scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

The functioning of the university remained crippled on Thursday, with the student fraternity condemning the move to convene the 126th Board of Management meeting in the afternoon.