Students of Tezpur University on Tuesday ended their nine-hour hunger strike after receiving fresh assurances from the Union Ministry of Education (MoE), but made it clear that their wider protest movement is far from over. While the hunger strike was withdrawn peacefully, the ongoing academic boycott on the campus continues, reflecting deep-rooted discontent among the student community.
The hunger strike, observed from morning to evening, saw the participation of nearly 200 students and drew widespread attention across the university. Students gathered in large numbers on campus, holding placards and raising slogans to press their demands. Despite cold conditions and physical exhaustion, the protesters remained firm, stating that the hunger strike was a symbolic step to underline the seriousness of their concerns.
Student leaders said the decision to end the hunger strike was taken after officials from the Ministry of Education gave a fresh assurance that a detailed inquiry into the ongoing issues at the university would be announced by Friday. According to the students, the ministry has promised to place the inquiry process on record, something they say was missing in earlier interactions.
“We have ended the hunger strike, but our protest is not over,” a student representative said. “We are waiting for the ministry to honour its promise. Until then, the academic boycott will continue.”
The hunger strike followed a visit by a senior MoE delegation to the university in recent days. The delegation included the ministry’s secretary and joint secretary, who met students and university representatives amid growing unrest. During that visit, the officials had earlier assured that an inquiry would be initiated within a specific timeframe. However, when the deadline passed without any formal announcement, students expressed anger and disappointment, leading to the hunger strike.
Students said the hunger strike was not a sudden decision but the result of prolonged frustration. According to them, repeated representations, peaceful demonstrations, and memorandums submitted to the authorities had failed to bring any concrete outcome.
The current agitation is taking place against the backdrop of a complete academic boycott that began on November 27. Since then, regular classes, examinations, and administrative activities have been severely disrupted. With a student strength of around 4,000, the university has effectively come to a standstill as students refuse to attend classes.