Guwahati, Sept 11: Students and research scholars of Tezpur University have sought fresh intervention from the Union Ministry of Education over the alleged delay in making public the findings of a statutory enquiry into the affairs of the central university, nearly a year after a student movement brought its administrative crisis into focus. The students urged the university Registrar to forward their demands to the Secretary of the Ministry of Education and the Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education, seeking disclosure of the enquiry findings and a “transparent, reasoned and time-bound conclusion” to the matter.

The students have also sought clarity on action taken against former Vice-Chancellor Prof Shambhu Nath Singh, whom they referred to as “absconding”, and demanded that responsibility be fixed wherever wrongdoing is established. The representation flagged several other unresolved issues, including student welfare, scarcity of funds, prolonged administrative uncertainty and the delay in holding the convocation for the 2025 graduating batch.

“The students have questioned whether the continuing delay in concluding the matter amounts to retaliation against the institution for stakeholders’ resistance to corruption,” the representation said in a release. They have demanded that the Ministry make the enquiry findings public, clarify the action taken against the former Vice-Chancellor, release pending funds and resolve the convocation issue.

They have also sought a written response from the Ministry. The students warned that if their concerns remain unaddressed, they could escalate their protest, including a “complete shutdown of University functioning until the issues are resolved”.

They further said that in the absence of meaningful communication from the Ministry, stakeholders may make public documents and evidence submitted before various fact-finding and enquiry committees. The representation concerns a statutory enquiry constituted under Section 9 of the Tezpur University Act, 1993, on December 31, 2025.

The students said the three-member committee was required to submit its report by March 31, 2026 and has since completed its proceedings and submitted the report, but its findings and consequential decisions remain undisclosed. The statutory enquiry followed a prolonged crisis at Tezpur University and allegations against Singh relating to alleged financial and administrative irregularities, administrative breakdown, academic concerns and his prolonged absence from the campus.