Tezpur: The Tezpur University student community on Monday levelled grave allegations against Vice-Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh, accusing him of large-scale corruption, administrative misconduct, academic negligence, and issuing threats to protesting students.
Addressing a press conference at the Guwahati Press Club, student representatives demanded the immediate suspension or termination of the Vice-Chancellor and the formation of a judicial inquiry committee headed by a sitting or former Supreme Court judge.
Students also criticised the administration for not paying tribute to cultural icon Zubeen Garg after his passing. According to student representative Nipu Boruah, corruption under Singh began “from the very day he joined on March 21, 2023,” alleging irregularities in finances, faculty appointments, academic processes and campus management.
The students further questioned Singh’s educational credentials, claiming no accessible records of his doctoral work exist online. Boruah alleged that the Vice-Chancellor issued “death-like threats” to those involved in the ongoing 57-day protest. Although an inquiry committee was formed earlier, students said its findings remain undisclosed despite multiple submissions of evidence. They also expressed concern that their grievance petition to the President of India, the Visitor of the University, has received no response for over a month.
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Students demanded the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor with proper qualifications and cultural sensitivity. They pointed to the university’s declining NIRF ranking and accused Singh of mishandling cyber threats, claiming no culprits have been identified despite FIRs filed.
Student representative Bhaskar J. Borah alleged the Vice-Chancellor has “destroyed the academic system,” claiming he terminated 72 guest faculty members without notice and replaced them with research scholars paid only ₹4,000–₹6,000 per month. He also alleged cuts to research contingency funds and criticised the administration for forcing students to self-fund participation in inter-university events.
Another student, Ananya Devi, accused the Vice-Chancellor of violating the Tezpur University Act by failing to appoint a Pro-Vice Chancellor. She also alleged a ₹12 crore financial scam linked to book purchases, hostel development and miscellaneous spending, and claimed Singh has been absent for 388 days during his two-year tenure.
Students reiterated that their movement is non-political and focused solely on protecting the academic future of more than 5,000 students. As of filing this report, the university administration has not issued any response.
