LOCK DOWN! Tezpur University Stands Still as Students Rebel Against Rot Within

Tezpur University, once celebrated as one of Assam’s most disciplined and academically vibrant campuses, is today a fortress of rage. The main gate is locked—not by authorities, but by its own students, teachers, and staff who say they have run out of patience, out of faith, and out of options.

For 68 relentless days, the campus has been trembling under an uprising that keeps getting louder and sharper. What began with whispers of corruption has hardened into serious charges: financial discrepancies, infrastructural neglect, misuse of power, and an administration that, students allege, chose silence over responsibility. At the centre of this storm stands Vice Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh, who, according to students and a section of staff, has vanished from the scene when the university needed him most.

“If he was innocent, he wouldn’t have run.”

That sentence—spoken by a student protester this evening—hung heavy in the air outside the locked university gate.

“The main person responsible for this university has taken refuge elsewhere,” the student said. “If he was right, why did he run? We deserve answers. We deserve respect. This is a prestigious institution, not someone’s personal empire.”

Another student stepped forward to describe the daily realities of the campus under the alleged mismanagement of the administration.

“Today is 68 days of our movement,” he said. “For two years, we filed applications, gave evidence, begged them to fix basic issues. The hostel chairs are broken—students are buying their own. The drinking water system is pathetic. The infrastructure is crumbling while those in power look away. How long can we stay silent?”

This time, the silence broke. Loudly.

On Thursday, the students—backed by professors, employees, and administrative staff—took the boldest step yet by enforcing a complete lockdown of Tezpur University, marking the most dramatic escalation of the 68-day-long agitation. With the main gate sealed and all activities halted, the message resonating across the campus is unmistakable: no classes, no movement, no entry, and no compromise. The united protesters have placed four non-negotiable demands before the authorities— the immediate presence of Finance Officer Braja Bandhu Mishra, the immediate appearance of Chief Executive Engineer Jadav Chandra Nath, urgent intervention from the Union Ministry of Education, and the appointment of an Acting Vice Chancellor to stabilise the institution during the ongoing investigation. They have declared that the lockdown will continue indefinitely until each of these demands is fully addressed.

A Revolt From Within The System

Perhaps the most explosive moment came when a Deputy Registrar—a part of the university’s administrative core—stood with the protestors, openly criticising the functioning under the VC.
“I am part of the system,” she said. “This is an autonomous university. All authority rests with the Vice Chancellor. We have no choice but to listen to him. The protest by the students—and ours—is against the irregularities committed at the highest level.”

For an administrator to speak this bluntly, on record, at a protest site, signals the depth of the crisis consuming the university.

A Campus Held Hostage By Its Own Wounds

Tezpur University has not seen unrest of this scale in more than a decade. But this isn’t a burst of momentary anger. This is accumulated despair, frustration, and a sense of betrayal by those entrusted with running an institution of national importance.

The allegations are not just about corruption—they are about crumbling hostel infrastructure, broken systems, and an administration that allegedly kept shifting responsibility while students suffered through the consequences.
When the Vice Chancellor—expected to lead the university through the storm—goes missing, it leaves a vacuum. And that vacuum has now been filled by a movement fuelled by unity, indignation and a determination to reclaim the institution.

A Prestigious University in Existential Crisis

Tezpur University today stands at a crossroads. The protests are no longer whispers behind closed doors. They are a public charge, backed by evidence, voices, and an unshakeable collective will.

The question is no longer what happened, but how long will this be allowed to continue.

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