Vice Chancellor in Dock over Dubious Hindi Faculty Hire at Tezpur Univ

Fresh allegations of corruption have surfaced against Tezpur University Vice Chancellor Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh, as the campus continues to simmer with protests by students, faculty, and staff over the alleged insult to late singer Zubeen Garg. What began as an emotional outpouring of outrage has now exposed a murky trail of alleged irregularities, manipulation, and abuse of power at one of Assam’s premier central universities.

Sources from Tezpur University stated that the Vice Chancellor played a direct role in illegally appointing an unqualified candidate, Dr Goma Devi Sharma, as Assistant Professor in the Department of Hindi, in gross violation of UGC norms and the university’s own recruitment procedures.

Shortlisting Manipulated, Eligibility Ignored

The controversy stems from the interview held on September 25, 2023, for an unreserved Assistant Professor post in the Hindi Department. As per official records, Dr Sharma’s name did not appear in the original list of shortlisted candidates. However, the Vice Chancellor, reportedly through written instructions, ordered the chairperson of the screening committee, Prof. Raza Rafiqul Haque, to add six additional names—including that of Dr. Sharma—at the eleventh hour.

Sources allege that Prof. Singh exerted undue pressure on the then Head of the Department and members of the screening committee to include and favour Dr Sharma’s candidature. “The VC summoned the Head of Department just before the interview, berated him in front of the Registrar (in-charge), and warned him of dire consequences if he objected,” said a faculty member on condition of anonymity.

Violation of Advertisement Criteria

The university’s advertisement for the post clearly required candidates with a diploma or degree in translation and linguistics as a specialisation—a qualification Dr Sharma does not possess. Moreover, the ten-year teaching experience certificate she submitted reportedly failed to mention employment under UGC pay scales, a key criterion for such appointments.

To make matters worse, records show that Dr Sharma was simultaneously teaching at Army Public School, Narengi, Guwahati, during the period she claimed to have full-time collegiate teaching experience—raising serious questions about the authenticity of her credentials.

Ignored Warnings and Suppressed Complaints

Two days before the interview, on September 23, 2023, a complaint email from a concerned individual named Shraddha Rahi was sent to senior university officials, warning of possible malpractice in the recruitment process. However, the Vice Chancellor allegedly suppressed the complaint and ensured no inquiry was initiated.

Even on the day of the interview, the Vice Chancellor allegedly replaced departmental experts with his own chosen panelists, bypassing the list of subject experts proposed by the department. Several candidates who performed better in the interview were overlooked, as the VC personally pushed for Dr Sharma’s appointment, the sources claim.

A Repeat Attempt after Earlier Rejection

This was not Dr Sharma’s first attempt to secure the same position. She had also applied in 2021, when her candidature was rejected during shortlisting due to invalid experience certificates and insufficient publications under UGC guidelines. The then Head of Department, Dr Anju Lata, had reportedly sent an email to the Registrar (in-charge), stating that Dr Sharma’s teaching experience was not in accordance with UGC norms and her published works were inadequate.

Despite these previous findings, she was not only shortlisted but also selected in 2023 under the direct influence of the Vice Chancellor—an act now being widely condemned within the academic community.

Preferential Treatment and Harassment Allegations

Following her controversial appointment, Dr Sharma was swiftly granted a hostel warden post and allotted a university quarter, bypassing senior faculty who had been waiting for years. This preferential treatment, allegedly ordered by the Vice Chancellor himself, has further deepened resentment among university staff.

Sources from the university state that faculty members aware of the irregularities have since faced systematic harassment, including delays in their Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) promotions and biased treatment from the administration.

“The Vice Chancellor has a clear prejudice against anyone who questions him. Those who spoke up about the appointment have been intimidated or sidelined,” a faculty member told Pratidin Time on condition of anonymity.

A University in Crisis

The revelations have come at a time when Tezpur University is already engulfed in turmoil. The ongoing agitation by students, teachers, and non-teaching staff, initially triggered by the perceived disrespect to cultural icon Zubeen Garg, has now evolved into a broader movement demanding accountability, transparency, and the removal of Prof. Singh.

From arbitrary appointments to alleged misuse of administrative powers, the charges paint a disturbing picture of governance failure at an institution once celebrated as a model of academic integrity.

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