Tezpur University V-C sent on leave after 100-day protest; probe panel set up

The education ministry has also appointed Prof Amrendra Kumar Das of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati as the university’s pro vice-chancellor

Published on: Jan 1, 2026, 22:43:19 IST

By Sanjay Maurya

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NEW DELHI: The Union ministry of education has asked Tezpur University vice-chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh to proceed on leave immediately and set up a three-member inquiry committee to investigate allegations against him.

Tezpur: Security personnel stand guard as students block the exit during a protest against vice chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh in Sonitpur district of Assam (PTI FILE PHOTO)

The ministry has also appointed Professor Amrendra Kumar Das of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati as the university’s pro vice-chancellor.

The move comes nearly three months after students and faculty members at the central university launched an agitation in mid-September 2025 over alleged administrative, ecological and financial irregularities during Singh’s tenure. On December 29, the protesters marked 100 days of agitation with a 24-hour hunger strike, demanding his removal and swift intervention by the central government.

Ministry officials said the three-member inquiry committee will be headed by Prof. N. Lokendra Singh, vice-chancellor of Manipur University, and will include Prof. Jagadish Kumar Patnaik, vice-chancellor of Nagaland University, and Prof. Manish R. Joshi, secretary, University Grants Commission (UGC).

The panel will examine all issues related to the ongoing situation at the university including the allegations against the vice chancellor.

“The vice-chancellor, Tezpur University shall recuse himself from all duties and proceed on leave immediately, and shall remain on leave till the completion of the enquiry,” said an education ministry official

An office memorandum issued by the ministry on December 31 stated that the three-member committee was tasked with conducting a detailed, comprehensive inquiry into the findings and recommendations of the fact-finding committee report set up by Assam governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on October 8.

This committee visited the campus in mid-October. Its report hasn’t been made public.

The three-member committee set up by the ministry is also tasked with examining the circumstances that led to the present crisis, including the resignations tendered and the assumption of charge by various university functionaries.

Since the unrest began, at least 11 faculty members and senior officials have resigned from their posts or from the university.

In addition, the committee will visit the campus, interact with all stakeholders, and review relevant documents, communications, and records as deemed necessary.

The committee has been told to submit its report “as early as possible and within a maximum duration of three months”.

The situation at Tezpur University has remained tense since mid-September when students accused the vice-chancellor and the administration of disrespecting cultural icon Zubeen Garg during a period of public mourning. The protests also centred on alleged financial irregularities and claims of deforestation and ecological damage on the campus under Singh’s tenure.

Tensions escalated on September 22 following a heated confrontation between the vice chancellor and students, after which Singh stayed off campus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanjay Maurya
Sanjay Maurya is a Principal Correspondent with Hindustan Times, where he covers education, with a focus on school and higher education, competitive examinations, education policy and governance. Working as part of the National Bureau, he is based in New Delhi and reports on the Ministry of Education and covers various statutory bodies like UGC, AICTE and NCTE and autonomous bodies like CBSE and NCERT. His reporting also tracks the implementation of key government reforms and policies from school education to higher education including in IITs, NITs, IIMs, central and state universities, and their impact on students and educational institutions. His reporting on the irregularities and rushed implementation of CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for evaluation of Class 12 board exams 2026, triggered administrative action, leading to the transfer of the board's two senior-most officials and the constitution of a committee to probe alleged irregularities in procurement process of the system. He joined Hindustan Times in December 2024. Prior to that, he had a three-year stint at Careers360, where he reported on school and higher education, entrance examinations, admissions, rankings and various education policies involving universities and professional education bodies. Over the years, Maurya has reported extensively on major developments in India's education sector, including the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the NEET-UG 2024 controversy, changes in school education, higher education regulation, and the evolution of entrance examinations such as NEET, JEE and CUET. He regularly produces data-driven and explanatory stories based on government documents, parliamentary proceedings, court records and official data. His focus remains on helping readers understand how education policies and institutional decisions affect millions of students, teachers and educational institutions across the country.Read More

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