Assam University, Silchar (AUS) confers honorary DLitt degree to IGP Partha Sarathi Mahanta

A CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: The Assam University, Silchar (AUS) at its 23rd Convocation on Monday awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature (DLitt) degree to the Inspector General of Assam Police, Partha Sarathi Mahanta, IPS. The degree was formally handed over to Mahanta by Swami Atmapriyananda, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Centre, Belur Math, during the inaugural function of the three-day convocation. Eminent industrialist Anand Mahindra of the Mahindra and Mahindra group was another recipient of this year’s honorary DLitt degree though he was unable to receive the award in person. Former Chief of the Air Staff of India and Assam University Chancellor Arup Raha, and Vice-Chancellor Rajive Mohan Pant were also present in the inaugural function of the 23rd Convocation where more than 13,666 successful students received the citations of their degrees.

Partha Sarathi Mahanta, 1999 batch IPS officer, who is now serving as the Commissioner of Police of Guwahati as well, was awarded the honorary degree as a recognition of his reform-oriented and people-centric approach to policing along with his creative work in film making and direction that highlights social issues as well as human values.

Expressing his gratitude to the university for conferring such a prestigious award, Mahanta in his speech said that he was involved in social work as it was not the responsibility of only full-time social workers. “Rather if we do our own work with honesty, that itself is a great service to society and for a police officer this responsibility is even more,” he explained. Mahanta further added that when a police officer received an award or honour, it did not belong to one officer alone but to the entire team. “No policeman is a superman. We cannot do our work alone, and we always need the support of our team,” he elaborated. The chief guest, Swami Atmapriyananda, delivered an insightful and inspiring address during the convocation programme. In his speech, he emphasized the philosophical concept of ‘Sarva Bhuta Hite Ratah,’ explaining that being human extends beyond concern for oneself and includes responsibility towards plants, animals, and the entire ecosystem. He spoke about the principles of deep ecology, stating that human beings are not born to dominate nature. He further reflected that humans were not the centre of the universe but participants within a larger ecological system.

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