Tezpur University row: Protesters vow to keep institution shut until formal steps taken to remove Vice Chancellor

Tezpur (Assam): Agitators at Tezpur University on Sunday vowed to enforce a shutdown at the institution, which has been witnessing sustained protests since mid-September against alleged irregularities by Vice Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh, till a formal communication from the Centre regarding the VC's removal is received.

The picturesque campus on the north bank of the Brahmaputra in Sonitpur district of Assam witnessed high voltage drama from Saturday afternoon till early on Sunday as a top delegation from the Union Ministry of Education, led by Secretary Vineet Joshi, could not leave the premises around midnight and was stuck inside their vehicles for more than three hours.

The high-level team was allowed to leave post midnight following a written assurance on a blank paper by the Department of Higher Education's Joint Secretary Saumya Gupta, who was a part of the delegation.

The hand-written assurance, accessed by PTI, said that VC Singh will not administer the central varsity till a "strict and time-bound inquiry against him" is completed.

Students, teachers and non-teaching staffers, under the aegis of a joint platform Tezpur University United Forum (TUUF), have been protesting against the beleaguered VC since mid-September over alleged corruption and other irregularities committed by him, and demanded his removal along with an inquiry against his actions.

The TUUF expressed disappointment that even after 79 consecutive days of peaceful protests, no concrete resolution or actionable assurance had been provided to remove the VC.

"The students, faculty and non-teaching staffers are going for a complete non-compliance and non-cooperation until a concrete agreement is officially received. After 79 days of sustained agitation, the fraternity remains resolute, awaiting the MoE's formal confirmation," TUUF said in a statement.

It acknowledged receiving the informal written communication from the MoE team, indicating that an inquiry will be initiated into the allegations concerning the VC.

"Students view this as a preliminary step, but emphasise that the protest will continue until an official, formal notification is issued and concrete action follows," TUUF said.

The students of this central university have enforced a "complete shutdown" of all activities, including those related to academics, on the campus since November 29 for an indefinite period, forcing the administration to cancel all end-term examinations.

The MoE's hand-written assurance, which facilitated their exit from the campus early on Sunday, highlighted that it had a joint meeting with the agitators and there were "multiple issues" with the governance style of the VC.

"Allegations were heard and discussed. The deptt of educn (sic) is committed to initiate a strict and time bound inquiry against him and during the pendancy (sic) of the same he will not be administering the university," Gupta wrote in her assurance, given on behalf of the Ministry of Education (MoE).

She also said in the assurance note that till further decision is taken, status quo be maintained.

The three-member team, comprising UGC's acting Chairman Joshi, Gupta and another Joint Secretary Armstrong Pame, along with top police and civil administration officials of Sonitpur district, reached the TU campus on Saturday afternoon to meet the agitators, but were blocked at the main gate by the agitators.

The Registrar in-charge of the university, Chandan Goswami, told PTI that the central team could exit the premises, after a written assurance was provided to the agitators.

He also said that Mass Communication Professor Joya Chakraborty, whom Singh had named pro-VC on Thursday, will not be assuming charge. Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharyya, the senior-most faculty member, will be the acting VC.

Police reinforcements were deployed at the gate since Saturday evening as the protesters raised slogans against the vice-chancellor and sought "azadi" from him and his misrule.

To prevent the police contingent from entering the campus in order to rescue the visiting team, hundreds of agitating women sat on the road blocking the main entrance gate. The police visibly did not have any women contingent.

Speaking to reporters on the campus, Joshi said, "We came here to meet the students, teachers, staff members and understand their view of the recent developments. We had a fruitful discussion with them. They have given us their feedback."

He said the ministry is processing all information and appropriate action will be taken, noting that two fact-finding inquiries had already been conducted.

"Based on these, the central government will take the matter forward. Whatever decision we take, I am sure it will be in the interest of the university," Joshi said.

All end-term examinations have been cancelled, and the Tezpur University Teachers' Association (TUTA) and Tezpur University Non-Teaching Employees' Association (TUNTEA) have extended their full support to the agitation.

The VC abstained from coming to the campus after the university had witnessed heated scenes and an exchange of words between him and students on September 22, leading to a situation where Singh had to nearly flee from the spot.

The situation in Tezpur University had been tense since mid-September with students accusing the VC and varsity authorities of not showing due respect to cultural icon Zubeen Garg even as the state was mourning his death.