Gauhati University marks scam: Students stage massive protest, locks VC’s offic

The agitating students for a brief period had put the entrance to the Offices of the VC and Controller of Examinations under lock and keys.

Massive protests erupted at the Gauhati University campus today as students took to the streets venting their anger against the inflated marks scam.

At one point of time, the protest mounted as agitating students put the main entrance to the Vice Chancellor’s Office and Office of the Controller of Examinations under lock and key, demanding that the perpetrators be booked. Besides, the students also batted for better reforms so as to safeguard their future.

However, soon Gauhati University Vice Chancellor Pratap Jyoti Handique along with other officials of the GU administration rushed to meet the students. Thereafter, the situation eased after the GU VC assured the students of doing the needful so that those guilty are booked by the law.

A few of the agitating students spoke to Northeast Live during their protest.

One of them said, “The main perpetrators must be arrested. It’s no use arresting their subordinates. People who have come forward to say that marks of certain candidates have been inflated, they too must be brought under the ambit of the investigation. Not only CID, but there must be a CBI inquiry into the entire matter. This scam is equivalent to the APSC cash-for-jobs scam, where too marks were altered in lieu of money given by candidates. We are grateful that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has intervened into the matter.”

Vice Chancellor Handique told Northeast Live about the action taken so far after the expose. Handique said that the University authorities have accepted the demands of the agitating students.

VC Handique said, “Students are showing a good concern that they want justice and they want a stand of the Gauhati University. So we have considered their demand and already we have taken measures to investigate the activities. Police is already doing their duties and from the university side also we have constituted a high-powered committee with technical persons to evaluate the situation exactly and how the company could do all these things. Again we have also stopped the access of the company on the websites and the system. But we have to complete the examination- the result part, because examinations have already been completed. So, after the examination part their activities will be completely stopped, and all the data will be transferred to Gauhati University.”

Handique also maintained that from now on the Gauhati University will not outsource the Integrated University Management System (IUMS) to any other private company.

“No, from now onwards. We have already stopped that type of outsourcing because initially the agreement was signed in 2017 with effect till 2022. In 2022 after discussion with our Education Minister (Assam) and his department, we have started a new system of admission and management, that was developed by the Gauhati University’s Information and Technology department from 2020 onwards. This year we have opted for Samarth. The data which is generated by the Gauhati University’s own system in 2023, those datas are also transferred to the Samarth system now. From now on there will be Samarth system only, there will be no other system,” said the Gauhati University VC.

Worth mentioning, the Gauhati University is embroiled in the worst controversy in its 76 years of existence with the coming to light of sensational details about a mega marksheet scam.

At least 8 individuals have been arrested and 1 detained so far in a joint operation by the Assam Police and the CID as the probe into the shocking scam intensifies. The combined team apprehended the suspects from various parts of the state, including Guwahati, Dhubri and Kalgachia in Barpeta.

Employees of a firm outsourced by Gauhati University following a MoU in 2017 is found to be prima facie involved in inflating marks of students for fee ranging from Rs 16,000 to 1 lakh.

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