FIR Filed as Tezpur University Boils Over Illegal Appointment Row

Tezpur University has plunged into crisis as protests demanding the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sambhu Nath Singh intensify, following allegations of serious financial irregularities, illegal appointments, and potential data breaches within the institution’s Computer Centre.

Faculty, students, and staff have united under a newly formed Joint Coordination Committee (JCC), vowing to continue their agitation until the Vice-Chancellor is dismissed. The controversy centres around the appointment and continued tenure of Mr. Ramakrishna Mathe, Director of the Computer Centre — an appointment that, protesters allege, was both illegal and financially burdensome.

Illegal Appointment Sparks Campus Outrage

According to documents reviewed by the protestors, Mr. Mathe was appointed on October 4, 2024, on a contractual basis for one year, drawing a monthly salary of ₹2 lakh — a position that had previously been honorary and handled as an additional duty by a faculty member.

Both the Teachers’ Association and student representatives have alleged that Vice-Chancellor Singh created the post with malafide intent, thereby putting “tremendous pressure on the internal revenue of the university and the government exchequer.”

Expired Tenure, Unauthorized Access, and ‘WhatsApp Approval’

The situation escalated dramatically after Mr. Mathe’s contract expired on September 7, 2025, yet he allegedly continued to function as Director without a valid extension order. On Tuesday, a student-faculty delegation confronted Acting Registrar Pritam Dey, questioning Mathe’s continued access to the office and systems.

When summoned, Mathe reportedly produced only a WhatsApp screenshot purportedly showing a thumbnail “approval” from Vice-Chancellor Singh as proof of extension — a move that stunned the university community.

Enraged by the revelation, students and faculty members locked the Computer Centre and filed a formal First Information Report (FIR) at the Borghat Police Outpost, accusing Mathe of criminal trespassing, impersonation, and illegal access to sensitive university data.

FIR Filed Against Computer Centre Director

The FIR, lodged by Prof. Kusum Kumar Bania, President of the Tezpur University Teachers’ Association, accuses Mathe of criminal trespass under Section 329 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), cheating and impersonation under Sections 318 and 319 of the BNS, and violations of Sections 65, 66, and 66D of the IT Act, 2000.

“His term expired on October 3, 2025. Yet, he continues to control the university’s IT systems, servers, and databases without authorization — posing a grave risk of data destruction and misuse,” the complaint states.

Serious Allegations Against the Vice-Chancellor

Adding fuel to the fire, sources within the university allege that Vice-Chancellor Singh had installed audio-visual CCTV cameras in staff areas, including lunch spaces — raising privacy violation concerns.

Moreover, Singh’s role in appointing Mathe, along with an ongoing magisterial inquiry into his alleged involvement in inciting communal tension on campus, has deepened the unrest. Protestors claim the VC has been absent from the campus without formally handing over charge, further aggravating the administrative vacuum.

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