Why the Tezpur University VC Must Resign?

The death of Zubeen was a shock to everyone who has grown up listening to his songs. People from all walks of life have been mourning his demise since his death on 19th September. It is deeply personal. Teary eyes everywhere. Shops closed andspontaneous marches of people with candles, andShradhanjalis were organized at every corner of roadsacross villages, towns and cities in Assam. 

How can the Students of  Tezpur University remain aloof? With the news of Zubeen Garg's death on 19th, Tezpur University students also wanted to express their grief. There was anotification from the state government for official mourning as well, but university admin was not paying attention to it.Business continued as usual: conducting classes and student elections as though nothing had happened.

This denial of the agency to express collective grief created a deep sense of neglect among the students. Their sorrow, suppressed, soon burst out as protest. A disciplined university rose in resistance. And in his death, Zubeen became a symbol of defiance for the students of Tezpur University. The administration could no longer hold them captive with fear.. 

When students demanded answers for this neglect, the administration resorted to deception. They released false news, claiming to have organized a condolence meeting that never took place—an attempt to sweep the matter under the carpet through media manipulation. When compelled to face the students, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh, worsened the wound by dismissively saying, “Don’t make things funny.”. For us, the students it was an insult to injury. It was a moment when students burst out against him, and demanded an immediate apology from him. And VC chose to escape from the University instead. 

An inquiry committee under the District Commissioner was formed to investigate whether the VC had insulted Zubeen. The media reportshave also highlighted only it as an issue of insult to an Assamese cultural icon. However, both the media and DC investigation fails to takes into account the core issues that lies underneath-a history of structural oppression and neglectfaced by students within the University Campus.

1. A History of suppressing Students Voices

Although formed out of Assam Agitation, Tezpur University since its inception in 1993 have a history of stifling students voices. It had a provision for student council in the Tezpur University Act 1993, but the VC’s had chose not to constitute until 2009. Under the tenure of Vice Chancellor Mihir Kanti Chaudhary (MKC)(appointed in 2007 and reappointed in 2012), students lived under fear as he was against student organisations. However, in 2009 he was compelled to form a student’s body after the Lyngdoh Committee Report and Supreme Court Order in 2008. 
It was then that a tokenistic council was created through an ordinance of the Board of Management.But this council had no autonomy—the Dean of Students’ Welfare was the ex-officio chairman, and other posts were filled by the VC’s nominations.

Then in 2014, after a period of 5 years, the TU administration had to shift from the practice of nomination to election, following the same Supreme Court order of 2009.  But the DSW at the helm of the students remained. MKC retired in May 2017 but these practices are retained by the next VCs and the Board of Management. To date, the students don’t have any agency to carry out any program on their own. We have to take permission for everything. Disciplinary measures hang over any independent initiative. While the Students have council, but we as research scholars are the most underrepresented with no formal union of our own. With only one scholar to represent in the council body, which is left vacant for over a year.

Thus, for three decades, Tezpur University has cultivated a depoliticised campus, suppressing dissent and creating docile students. The Lyngdoh Committee recommendations have not been implemented in its letter and spirit. And the grief over Zubeen’s death reignited a buried history of neglect and resistance.

2. VC Shambhu Nath Singh and a Dumping Yard in the North East

Appointed in April 2023, Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh came to Tezpur University with a tainted past. His academic credentials remain questionable. In 2012, he was removed as Vice Chancellor of Patna University by the Patna High Court following massive student protests. Allegations of corruption and malpractice followed him.
One may wonder why such a controversial person became eligible for a post of reputation at a University in Assam? Were there not any other eligible candidates for this post?

The answer lies in the larger patter of governing the North East.From civil servants to judges and governors, many have resigned upon transfer to the region, citing “hardship” and “remote” location. The Government of India also has as a history of sending errant officials to North Eastern states as punishment postings. One was the transfer of IAS couple from Delhi to Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh in 2022 for their mis use of official powers. 
Since the competent officers or administrators do not priotise NE, and because ofthe tendency of the Central govt to retain their control over these institutions, by appointing their loyalists, they compromises on the quality of the administrators by overlooking the flaws. And thusNE including Assam have been always serving as a dumpyardfor Delhi and the rest of India.

There are multiple reports and complaints against VC Singh. RTI enquiries have revealed corruption in faculty and contractor appointments, along with instances of nepotism and alleged collusion with an engineer in corrupt practices. He has arbitrarily dismissed and suspended contractual faculty and staff over trivial matters. Complaints of sexual harassment have not been addressed seriously, with the administration often resorting to victim-blaming. His conduct has also been marked by a harsh, insulting, and condescending attitude toward women colleagues. 

While openly promoting certain political and religious groups, he has displayed a complete lack of cultural sensitivity and empathy toward students. His apathy during Zubeen’s death and the refusal to hold a Shradhanjali stand as stark evidence of this insensitivity. This incident not only wounded the self-respect of students but also revived memories of long-standing patterns of oppression within the campus.Refusing to participate in the stifling of students voices and media manipulation, the Public Relations officer, SamareshBarman has tendered his resignation yesterday in protest.

3. Our Struggle for a Student and a Research Scholars Union

Although, in the aftermath of the Lyngdoh Committee report and the Supreme Court order in 2008, the TU administration formed a token council in 2009, it was never done in letter and spirit. The administration retained power over the student council through the Office of the Dean of Student Welfare. Permission from the DSW remained mandatory for every activity, and committees were empowered to sack democratically elected members. Moreover, the TU administration has consistently denied the formation of a Research Scholars’ Union. Instead, research scholars were clubbed together with students, given only a marginal position within the council—one that remained vacant in the last session, leaving research scholars without any representation.

For this reason, the demand for a union has been a long-standing one among students. But as research scholars, we realized that PhD scholars need a separate, independent union. In that spirit, we took the initiative of forming one. We organized our , using the occasion to highlight the plight of research scholars and other academic workers at the university—arbitrary removal of guest faculty, non-recruitment of permanent faculty, shifting the teaching burden onto PhD scholars without any payment, and many other issues.

On 5th May 2025, during our attempt to form an interim committee of the Research Scholars’ Forum, and before any formal procedures could be taken, a crackdown on research scholars began. I was personally targeted for taking the initiative, receiving notices through my department warning me not to raise any questions about the university’s administrative policies or decision-making. Other scholars were intimidated and threatened by their supervisors with negative consequences. Faculty members sympathetic to the cause were summoned and forced to sign undertakings stating they would not support the formation of a Research Scholars’ Forum.

The TU administration has also violated the Anti-Ragging Act by fostering a “Dada culture” within the campus through senior students. By ensuring that the student representative body at hostels are filled through warden nominations, the administration secures loyalty of the ‘seniors’ and thereby ensures discipline through the dada’s that are to be obeyed. I myself experienced this in August this year, when senior scholars attempted to enforce a dress code by targeting me for wearing a sleeveless T-shirt within the hostel premises. I lodged complaints with the Anti-Ragging Committee and the Proctor. Yet, while I pointed out the vagueness of the university’s dress code in my complaint, and how it empowers the “seniors’ to perpetuate a culture of ragging, no action has been taken against the perpetrators, nor any awareness created amongst the students regarding the issue and the administration continues to sit on the matter.

The Research scholars continue to struggle for even basic amenities despite paying hefty annual fees. Democratic processes such as meetings of the minutes are routinely deferred when demanded by Research Scholars during departmental meetings . Complaints under the SC/ST Act by Dalit students have been suppressed by the administration. ICC complaints have been manipulated, with students pressured into withdrawing cases. There are even instances of supervisors exploiting students by plagiarizing their PhD content, with no action taken against the faculty involved. These examples make it clear that the VC is not the only problem—the rot runs deeper within the TU administration and teacher community.

In this regard, I acknowledge that some teachers have finally shown courage by releasing a statement of solidarity. This is a rare development, since in the past TUTA has remained silent despite witnessing these problems, effectively becoming part of the problem itself.

Therefore, the resignation of the VC alone is not enough. Only an independent student union and a separate Research Scholars’ Union can address these structural issues. For a genuine culture of democracy to be restored on campus, students and teachers must work together, ensuring that independent voices of students and research scholars are institutionally recognized and protected.

Also Read: Goodbye Zubeen Garg, Assam’s Heartbeat; Shine Bright in the Sky