New Delhi: The central government this week sent Tezpur University Vice Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh on leave, and formed a three-member inquiry committee after three months of protests by students and teachers demanding his removal over alleged irregularities.
Tezpur University, one of two central varsities in Assam, has been in turmoil since 27 September, when the protest was launched for the V-C’s removal over accusations of financial irregularities, administrative breakdown, academic erosion and repeated violations of norms.
Officials of the Union education ministry said the three-member committee will review the situation at the university, including allegations against Singh. The panel will be chaired by Manipur University V-C Professor N. Lokendra Singh, Nagaland University V-C Professor Jagadish Kumar Patnaik, and University Grants Commission (UGC) secretary, Professor Manish R. Joshi.
“The Vice Chancellor (Singh) has been asked to recuse himself from all duties and proceed on leave immediately, and shall remain on leave till the completion of the inquiry,” a senior ministry official told ThePrint Friday.
The ministry also appointed Prof Amrendra Kumar Das of IIT-Guwahati as pro vice-chancellor of Tezpur University till further orders.
Apart from financial and administrative mismanagement, protesters have accused Singh of being absent from the campus for long periods. They also allege that he made insensitive remarks on students’ plea to postpone campus elections after singer Zubeen Garg’s death.
Students and teachers say that academic activities were halted in November due to the unrest, and after marking 100 days of protests, some students sat on a 24-hour hunger strike.
The university agitation led to resignations of key officials, including the registrar and public relations officer.
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The Assam Governor, who is Chancellor of the university, in October formed a fact-finding committee led by IIT Guwahati Director Devendra Jalihal to submit a report on the situation at the varsity. It isn’t clear when the report was submitted.
The education ministry, in its 31 December-memorandum, said the new committee will also study conclusions of the fact-finding panel. It must submit its report within three months, it said.
Last month, a team led by Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi visited the Tezpur campus to talk to students, but was met with protests. The team eventually gave demonstrators a written assurance promising a “strict” and “time-bound” inquiry against Singh.
Students said in a statement issued late Thursday night that after 103 days of peaceful protest, the ministry’s decision to constitute a high-level inquiry committee marks a significant step towards resolving the crisis at Tezpur University.
They said that they hope the inquiry into allegations against Singh would be fair, transparent and free from external interference.
While assuring full cooperation with the committee, students said the protest would continue until justice is delivered and pending demands are addressed. “This resolution is an important milestone, but the movement will not be withdrawn until the inquiry conclusively upholds justice,” the statement read.
Last month, the university issue caught the attention of politicians. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urged the Union Education Minister to appoint a Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, on 4 December, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking intervention in the ongoing unrest.
ThePrint has reached out to Singh for a response on the allegations. The report will be updated if and when he does.
(Edited by Prerna Madan)
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