New Delhi: More than two months after students and teachers launched protests demanding removal of Tezpur University Vice-Chancellor (V-C) Shambhu Nath Singh, the campus witnessed a dramatic turn of events late Thursday. The university’s senior-most professor stepped in as Acting V-C after the campus community rejected Singh’s attempt to appoint a Pro-V-C, escalating an already fraught standoff.
The discontent stemmed from allegations of financial and administrative mismanagement by Singh and his prolonged absence from campus, and intensified in September over his allegedly insensitive response to students’ plea to postpone the students’ council elections following singer Zubeen Garg’s untimely death and the V-C’s “disrespectful” remarks for the singer, one of Assam’s biggest cultural icons. The students told ThePrint they wanted time to mourn Garg but the council elections were conducted as scheduled.
Tezpur University, one of two central universities in Assam established in 1994 under the 1985 Assam Accord, remains in turmoil since 27 September and calls for the V-C’s removal have intensified.
On Thursday, Singh convened an emergency Board of Management meeting and appointed Joya Chakraborty, a professor in the department of mass communication, as Pro-V-C—a move immediately rejected by agitating teachers and students. In response, the senior-most professor, Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharyya, suo motu assumed charge as Acting V-C.
In a letter to the Higher Education Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Bhattacharyya cited Statute 2(6) of the Tezpur University Act, 1993, which empowers the senior-most professor to discharge V-C duties when the V-C and Pro-VC are unavailable.
“In view of the long absence of the Vice Chancellor, non-functioning of the Office of the Vice Chancellor and also in view of the current situation prevailing in the campus, to bring normalcy to the campus… I, Prof. Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharyya, Senior-most Professor of the University, hereby assume the charge of the Office of the Vice Chancellor as the Acting Vice Chancellor with effect from 04.12.2025,” he states in the letter, seen by ThePrint.
Meanwhile, the agitating students announced Thursday night that they will sit on a hunger strike, demanding an inquiry against Singh and his removal.
ThePrint reached out to V-C Singh, who was still not at the campus Thursday, over email, messages and calls seeking his response. This report will be updated if and when he responds.
On Wednesday, the students had called for a complete shutdown, protesting the lack of action by the Union Ministry of Education against Singh. Because of the chaos, the end-term examinations scheduled to begin Wednesday were postponed until 8 December. Following this, the V-C convened an emergency meeting of the Board of Management.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma spoke to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Wednesday, urging him to appoint a Pro-Vice-Chancellor immediately to restore academic stability at the campus.
Students have, however, rejected the CM’s suggestion and are demanding a new full-time V-C. They also objected to the Board of Management meeting held by Singh.
“Clearly, the chief minister has no understanding of the real issues on the campus. We have been protesting for over 70 days, and what we need is a new full-time Vice-Chancellor. The present V-C kept crucial statutory positions, including the Pro-Vice-Chancellor post, vacant for more than two years to maintain his control. Why should it be filled now, after the crisis has escalated?” an agitating student told ThePrint.
“We also reject this emergency meeting called by our ‘absconding V-C’. When he is not even on campus, how can he suddenly conduct a meeting amid serious allegations against him? We have collectively decided to reject whatever decisions come out of this meeting,” the student added.
Also Read: ‘I am Assam,’ Zubeen Garg had said. He was the soundtrack to our lives
Charges against V-C
In a statement Tuesday, Tezpur University Teachers’ Association (TUTA) levelled extensive allegations against Singh, accusing him of presiding over widespread financial irregularities, administrative breakdown, academic erosion, and repeated violations of the Tezpur University Act by keeping statutory positions such as of pro-V-C vacant.
TUTA alleged that the V-C manipulated major tenders—including that for security, diesel procurement, equipment purchases, book acquisitions, and HEFA-funded furniture—through restrictive specifications, hand-picked vendors, and procedural bypass, leading to inflated costs, misallocation of funds and financial misconduct.
The association also accused him of irregular appointments, extending the term of favoured officials against norms, arbitrarily allotting residential quarters for teaching and non-teaching staff and creating high-paid contractual posts in violation of University Grants Commission rules.
According to TUTA, Singh, who took over as V-C in March 2023, has allegedly stayed away from campus for 388 days so far.
“This has exacerbated administrative stagnation and eroded confidence among stakeholders. There is so much administrative work pending because of his absence,” an association member, who did not want to be named, told ThePrint.
The association further alleged that Singh violated the university Act by not formally handing over charge to the senior-most faculty member during his absence.
“This had been causing discomfort among the teaching and non-teaching community for a while. However, there was no organised agitation until September this year,” the TUTA member said.
The agitating students and teachers also alleged that the V-C has spent around Rs 50 lakh from the university fund on travel expenses over the past two years.
“There is no record showing where he travelled or whether it was for official or personal purposes,” said another student at the university.
On 9 October, TUTA filed a complaint with the Central Vigilance Commission against Singh alleging financial and administrative malpractices.
The teachers’ body also submitted a memorandum to the Union education ministry on 18 November, asking for immediate appointment of a full-time V-C.
‘Disrespectful’ remarks against Garg
Students’ council elections at Tezpur University were scheduled for 20 September, a day after Garg’s death. According to students, they approached the administration requesting postponement of elections, citing that the state was in mourning. The students also demanded that a condolence meeting be held in memory of Garg.
“We got permission for the condolence meeting after repeated efforts but we were instructed to maintain ‘decorum’. But no one from the administration attended the event. This was a complete act of disrespect and hurt the sentiments of students,” said a member of Tezpur University United Forum, a collective of students, TUTA and non-teaching employees involved in the protest.
The administration, however, allegedly refused to postpone the elections scheduled a day after Garg’s death.
“The university conducted the elections and declared the results. On 21 September, when the state was in mourning for Zubeen Garg, the university did not cancel classes despite students’ requests and even mis-spelt the singer’s name in the notice. It was a blow to us,” said a third student.
The same day, students demanded a meeting with the V-C, who was not in the campus. The administration conducted a virtual meeting.
“It was during that meeting that the V-C made a disrespectful remark about the singer, which became the tipping point and led to protests by the students, who were later joined by teaching and non-teaching staff. The V-C has been absent from the campus since then,” the student added.
According to teachers and students, the agitation intensified from 27 September onwards, with peaceful protests involving both students and faculty members.
“The teachers were already aware of his misconduct, and we started collecting evidence of financial and administrative irregularities against him. We shared the same with the ministry of education and government officials,” said another TUTA member.
Between September and now, the university’s Registrar (in-charge) Pritam Deb and several other officials, including the public relations officer, have stepped down from their administrative positions.
Why did protest escalate?
According to teachers and students, they had been protesting silently since 27 September. However, anger was triggered Monday when the Union Ministry of Education informed Parliament that a fact-finding committee constituted by the Governor of Assam, the ex-officio chancellor of Tezpur University, to look into the charges against V-C Singh, had submitted its report.
The committee had been formed by the government in October in response to demands from teachers and students to investigate Singh’s conduct.
“It agitated the protesting students that despite submission of the report, no action was taken against the V-C either by the ministry or the Governor’s office. It was humiliating for the students and teachers, who have been peacefully protesting for 75-76 days,” said the TUTA member mentioned earlier.
As a result, students Wednesday announced a complete shutdown and exams were postponed at the university. “We are still protesting silently, maintaining decorum on campus. We will continue the protest until our demand for appointment of a new V-C is met by the ministry,” the member stated.
The issue has taken a political turn since then. Gaurav Gogoi, Congress’ Lok Sabha MP, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention in the ongoing unrest at the university.
“The university, established under the Assam Accord as a symbol of the state’s aspirations for quality higher education, is now facing a severe institutional crisis. Recent developments have highlighted widespread dissatisfaction among students, faculty, and staff due to administrative misconduct, lack of accountability, and poor institutional management under the present Vice Chancellor, Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh,” Gogoi said in his letter.
Tezpur University used to represent everything Assam hoped for: quality education, research leadership, and institutional pride rooted in the legacy of the Assam Accord.
But today, it is caught in the middle of a deep institutional crisis. Administrative misconduct, financial… pic.twitter.com/o1yUoCflku
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) December 2, 2025
Gogoi Thursday also shared a 2012 news article, stating that when Singh was the V-C of Patna University, similar allegations had been made against him.
“…there were enquiries about financial irregularities from the office of Principal Accountant General. It would be best that the prestige of Tezpur University should be paramount and a new Vice Chancellor be appointed. Stop using the Universities of Northeast for posting controversial VCs,” he wrote.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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