HT Correspondent
TEZPUR, Jan 1: The Asam Sahitya Sabha, the largest literary organisation of the State, has extended its full support to the ongoing democratic agitation at Tezpur University, which has been continuing for over 100 days. Students, teachers and employees have been demanding the removal of the absconding Vice-Chancellor, Shambhunath Singh and a fair probe into alleged corruption.
On the last day of the year, a delegation of the Asam Sahitya Sabha, comprising members and office-bearers from different levels of the organisation and led by its president Dr Basanta Kumar Goswami, visited the protest site on the university campus. Addressing the gathering of agitating students, teachers and staff, Dr Goswami declared that the Sabha would continue to stand firmly in support of what he termed an intellectual and non-violent movement of Tezpur University.
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Expressing concern over the present state of affairs, Dr Goswami said that the strong foundation and academic legacy on which the university once stood were no longer reflected in the current environment marked by hollow slogans of modernity. He said that the head of an educational institution should command universal respect, but instead someone who was driven out elsewhere had been brought and placed in such a position in Assam. Describing it as a grave misfortune for the university, Dr Goswami said that students and teachers, who should have been engaged in academic pursuits, were compelled to take the agitational path for their legitimate rights. He added that the government should have heard the “cry of distress” of Tezpur University and said the issue at least deserved discussion in the State Assembly.
Dr Goswami further stated that the Asam Sahitya Sabha would not confine itself to verbal expressions of solidarity but would also take concrete academic and organisational steps in response to the crisis. If necessary, the Sabha would seek meetings with the Chief Minister of Assam and the Governor to suggest ways to restore a healthy academic atmosphere in the university rooted in its rich legacy. Should the government still remain indifferent, he said, members of the Sabha from Dhubri to Sadiya would write to the Chief Minister on the issue and efforts would also be made to meet the President of India for a solution.
Earlier, addressing the gathering, Dr Kusum Kumar Bania, president of the Tezpur University Teachers’ Association, gave a detailed account of the problems currently facing the university. Brief addresses were also delivered by Dr Sukdev Adhikari, president of the Sonitpur district committee of the Asam Sahitya Sabha and former general secretary Jadab Chandra Sarma. The programme was conducted by Dr Sanjib Pal Deka of the Assamese Department of Tezpur University.
Prior to visiting the protest site, Dr Goswami attended a brief meeting at the Vice-Chancellor’s conference hall, where he interacted with a section of university officers and staff, including Registrar in-Charge Dr Chandan Goswami, several deans and senior faculty members. The Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharyya, formally welcomed Dr Goswami with a traditional gamosa and a set of books published by the university and briefed him on the prevailing issues confronting Tezpur University.
The delegation accompanying the Sabha president included Dulal Nath, Bankim Baruah, Nakul Kurmi, Kamini Baruah, Basudev Sarma, Dulal Goswami, Kanak Bhattacharyya, Ripon Saikia, Manoranjan Bhagawati, Ruby Bora, Bharat Das, Nripen Das, Mohsinur Rahman, Imran Hussain Ahmed, Mobarak Hussain, Pratibha Dhar, Bishnulal Sastri, Satyadev Sarma, Hemen Saikia, Bhuban Chetri, Mohan Upadhyay, among others, with more than 50 members and office-bearers of the Sabha present.
