Officials from the Ministry of Education descended upon Tezpur University like uninvited guests at a feast, armed with nothing but empty words and a shocking disregard for protocol. These so-called representatives, tasked with addressing the escalating crisis at the university, arrived without official stamps, pens, or even the basic dignity of preparedness. Instead, the the protesting students had to tear pages from their classmates’ notebooks and hand over pens just so they could jot down half-hearted assurances in a handwritten note that reeks of insincerity. This farce of a visit, led by Joint Secretary Saumya Gupta, exemplifies the Ministry’s utter contempt for the students’ plight, treating a serious governance meltdown as little more than a casual outing. As Tezpur University’s brave students launch a hunger strike today demanding the ouster of Vice-Chancellor Dr. Shambhu Nath Singh, it’s high time to call out the Ministry for what it is: a bloated, unresponsive entity that prioritizes optics over action, leaving young minds to fend for themselves in a system rotten with corruption and neglect.
The students of Tezpur University have endured enough. For weeks, they’ve been locked in a battle against a vice-chancellor accused of mismanagement, authoritarianism, and a governance style that has plunged the institution into chaos. Dr. Singh’s prolonged absence and the non-functioning of his office have paralyzed academic life, forcing the university community to take matters into their own hands. In a bold move on December 4, 2025, Prof. Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharyya, the senior-most professor, assumed charge as acting vice-chancellor under Statute 2(6) of the Tezpur University Act, 1993. This step was not just a procedural formality; it was a desperate bid to restore normalcy amid the turmoil. Yet, the Ministry of Education and the central government have responded with nothing but delays, broken promises, and a stunning lack of accountability.
Speaking exclusively to Northeast Scoop, a student leader spearheading the protest spoke about the Ministry’s incompetence during their visit on December 6, 2025. “The Ministry of Education members who came to Tezpur University to look into the matter came as if they were here to eat food as guests,” the leader said, his voice laced with frustration and disbelief. “They didn’t bring any official stamp with them, neither did they bring a pen. We had to give them a pen and paper torn from our classmate’s notebook, and they wrote down their assurances in a handwritten letter.” This anecdote isn’t just embarrassing; it’s emblematic of a government that treats higher education crises like afterthoughts, sending ill-equipped officials who can’t even muster the basics for an official meeting. 
The handwritten “Minutes of Meeting” that emerged from this charade is a damning artifact of bureaucratic sloth. Dated December 6, 2025, at 5:00 PM on the Tezpur University campus, the note acknowledges “multiple issues with the governance style of Vice-Chancellor Dr. S. N. Singh” after discussions with students, teachers, and non-teaching staff. It commits the Department of Education to “initiate a strict and time-bound enquiry against him,” stating that during the inquiry’s pendency, Dr. Singh “will not be administering the University.” It further insists that the “status quo will be maintained” until further orders. Signed by Saumya Gupta, Joint Secretary of the Department of Higher Education, this scribbled promise was meant to placate the agitated campus. But as days turned into weeks, it has proven to be nothing more than ink on borrowed paper, worthless and forgotten.
The student leader didn’t mince words about the fallout. “Even the acting VC that we had proposed he is such a nice man with experience and when he sent a letter to the governor, the governor did not even acknowledge the letter. This is how the situation is,” he said. Prof. Bhattacharyya’s assumption of charge was formalized on December 8, 2025, and the university even referenced a Lok Sabha response from the Minister of State for Education on December 1. Moreover, a follow-up communication from Gupta on December 7 reiterated the commitment to an inquiry and confirmed Prof. Bhattacharyya’s position as acting VC during the interim. Yet, the “time-bound” inquiry promised has lapsed without a trace.
“The education ministry who had promised us with a time-bound that time-bound has been over last Tuesday only, and still there is no reply and answer from their side that the VC’s administrative power has been removed. No such thing is happening here,” the leader added, highlighting the Ministry’s betrayal. This inaction isn’t mere oversight; it’s a systemic failure that exposes the rot at the heart of India’s education governance.
The Ministry of Education, under the stewardship of a government that prides itself on “reforms,” has repeatedly failed to uphold its mandate. From delayed appointments to unchecked corruption in universities, the Ministry has become a synonym for inefficiency. In Tezpur’s case, the casual attitude of officials like Gupta, who couldn’t even bring their own stationery mirrors a broader disdain for the Northeast’s educational institutions. Assam’s universities, often sidelined in national discourse, are treated as peripheral concerns, their students’ voices drowned out by Delhi’s bureaucratic echo chambers.
The students, however, refuse to be silenced. Having borne the brunt of this neglect for over a week without any tangible action, they’ve escalated their protest with today’s hunger strike. “Now, what we have decided is… we are bearing till now, and today is the hunger strike… and since it has been more than a week and no action has been taken yet… and now we have decided to go to Guwahati and hold a conference with intellectuals on December 19 in Guwahati… all intellectuals… and students’ body leaders will be there… and on 25 or 26 we will go to Delhi and all organization student union leaders such as JNU student union leaders, DU student union leaders… and we will hold a press conference… and we will speak about VC removal and corruption and about everything how a university should function,” the leader declared.
This roadmap of resistance from local conferences to national press meets highlights the students’ determination and organizational prowess. They are not just fighting for Tezpur; they’re challenging a flawed system that allows vice-chancellors like Dr. Singh to cling to power amid allegations of mismanagement.
Supporting these students isn’t optional; it’s imperative. They represent the future of Indian academia, young minds pushing back against entrenched power structures that prioritize loyalty over merit. The government’s silence on Prof. Bhattacharyya’s letter to the governor is particularly galling. As a seasoned academic with unblemished credentials, his plea for acknowledgment should have been met with swift action, not indifference.
This pattern of neglect isn’t isolated; it’s reflective of how the current regime handles dissent in higher education. From JNU to Jamia Millia Islamia, student protests have been met with repression rather than resolution, with ministries like Education acting as enablers of authoritarian vice-chancellors.
Saumya Gupta and her team embody the worst of bureaucratic entitlement rushing in for a “meeting” without tools of the trade, dishing out promises they have no intention of keeping. The “time-bound” inquiry? Overdue and dormant. The status quo? A convenient excuse to maintain the inertia that benefits the powerful.
The broader implications are chilling. Tezpur University, a beacon of learning in Assam, risks descending into irrelevance if such governance lapses continue. Corruption allegations against Dr. Singh ranging from arbitrary decisions to favoritism demand not just an inquiry but a transparent, independent probe.
