Tezpur University Shut for Sixth Day as Students, Faculty Revolt Against Alleged “Backdoor” Pro-VC Appointment

Chaos gripped Tezpur University in Sonitpur, Assam, on Thursday as thousands of students and faculty members continued their fiery protests for the sixth straight day, this time targeting the reported “arbitrary” elevation of Prof. Joya Chakraborty as Pro-Vice Chancellor.

Although no official notification has been issued confirming Chakraborty’s appointment as Pro-VC, word of the decision has triggered widespread outrage. Protesters burned tyres, blocked campus gates and raised slogans against both the senior Mass Communication professor and the embattled Vice Chancellor, Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh, whose ouster remains the central demand of the ongoing agitation.

Faculty members, who joined the students in large numbers, accused the university administration and the Ministry of Education of “complete erosion of transparency and democratic processes” in administrative decisions.

The unrest escalated late Wednesday night and continued unabated through Thursday, bringing all academic activities to a standstill and casting uncertainty over upcoming examinations and the current semester.

The controversy gained political attention when Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed on December 3 that he had personally spoken to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. In a post on X, Sarma said he requested the immediate appointment of a Pro-Vice Chancellor “pending an impartial enquiry into the conduct of the present Vice Chancellor” to restore academic normalcy. He expressed hope that the Centre would resolve the crisis swiftly.

However, protesters dismissed the move as an attempt to deflect attention, insisting that appointing Chakraborty without consulting students, faculty or the Executive Council only deepens the leadership crisis.

With classes suspended indefinitely and the campus resembling a protest ground, pressure is mounting on the Union government to intervene directly and address the growing trust deficit at one of Assam’s premier central universities.

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