Tezpur: Tezpur University’s civil rights movement entered its 38th day with a powerful black-clad demonstration. The rally turned the campus into a symbol of solidarity and defiance.
A sea of protestors filled the campus, raising their voices against the misrule of the administration. Together with members of the Tezpur University Teachers’ Association (TUTA) and Tezpur University Non-Teaching Employees’ Association (TUNTEA), hundreds of students marched in black clothing and masks, in an attempt to symbolise the institutional mourning. They led the protest as a “masked corruption” of the administration under the fugitive Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh.
Notably, the rally attracted a lot of attention as it traversed through the main routes of the Napaam campus in a synchronised configuration. The protestors claimed that the masks symbolised the secrecy and lack of accountability that have characterised the past few years of the University governance, representing the voices of those silenced by the administration pressure. The participants held up placards to raise their demands by maintaining disciplined silence throughout the march. Using the black mask as a metaphor to remind us that while the truth may be concealed, it cannot remain so indefinitely.
In a joint statement by TUTA, along with TUNTEA and the student fraternity, proclaimed that the current movement is an effort to restore honesty, accountability and ethical governance to the university. The university campus reiterated its resolve to carry on the non-violent demonstration until justice prevails and the institution’s dignity is completely restored.