Bold claim: Tezpur University is at a standstill because of long-simmering anger, financial concerns, and a triggering event surrounding Zubeen Garg’s death. This is the core issue driving weeks of protests and a central-university crisis in Assam.
Protests have built over months, with staff and students demanding the removal of Vice Chancellor Shambu Nath Singh. In November, after two months of demonstrations and the VC’s absence, the university declared an “academic shutdown.” A delegation from the central government led by Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi visited the campus last week, but the impasse persists.
Even as end-of-semester exams that were postponed due to the protests began on Thursday, the shutdown continues. Protesters say the stand-off will last until there is concrete action. A meeting last Saturday between ministry officials and student and staff representatives produced a handwritten note from Higher Education Joint Secretary Saumya Gupta signaling a commitment to a strict, time-bound inquiry into the VC.
Singh has held the post since March 2023. Protesters have presented their allegations to the Ministry of Education and to a fact-finding team appointed by the state governor.
The central charge is financial irregularities that allegedly predate the current protests. The Tezpur University Teachers’ Association points to a Rs 14 crore furniture procurement for hostels, including 1,016 beds and 864 desk-cum-benches, all from a single brand. They contend the purchase was steered by restrictive specifications and unauthorized changes to favor that brand, resulting in substandard furniture that didn’t meet the tender’s requirements.
Allegations extend to other procurements, including laptops and library books, with concerns about how resources have been used contributing to repeated stand-offs in the past.
Earlier this year, the university received DST’s PURSE grant to promote research. An 11-member committee oversaw the project and recommended a tender after evaluating multiple firms. The VC, whose background is in Mass Communications, allegedly altered specifications without the committee’s knowledge, and a tender was floated in August. The committee objected, warning that the tender wouldn’t be competitive, but protests soon emerged and the tenders were withdrawn, according to a professor involved in the project.
A senior administrator attributes much of the resentment to a high-handed and dismissive management style. The comments describe a pattern of rude and humiliating exchanges during meetings spanning two-and-a-half years, within a relatively small university community of about 5,000 students and 400 staff. The administrator says the trigger was Singh’s conduct following the death of singer Zubeen Garg, which brought long-simmering frustrations to a head.
Amid statewide mourning for Garg on September 19, the university nonetheless held student council elections on September 20, a day after his death. A student notes that the VC was not present at the university during that period, and elections proceeded despite requests to postpone as a sign of respect.
Another major grievance concerns the VC’s extended absences from campus. The teachers’ association estimates about 388 days of absence from April 2023 to September 2025. Students say requests for a condolence event after Garg’s death were met with insensitivity, fueling further protests. The teachers’ association later expressed support and highlighted irregularities, amplifying the protests.
In a written statement released at the outset of the protests, Singh denied the irregularity charges, stating that every expenditure undergoes due process and audit scrutiny, and funds are never used beyond what is permitted.
Would-be reforms and accountability measures at Tezpur University are now front and center in a broader debate about governance, transparency, and campus culture. As the situation unfolds, sharper questions arise: Are the alleged procurement irregularities a symptom of deeper management issues? Does the university have adequate oversight and due process in spending? And how should authorities balance urgent reform with the needs of a student body and faculty during a period of crisis?
