Tribhuvan University has once again been held hostage by political and opposition power struggles. The ruling UML-affiliated student union, ANNFSU, has been staging a sit-in at the Vice Chancellor’s office for 15 days, while five student unions, including the opposition Maoist-affiliated All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union (Revolutionary), have locked four offices, including the principal’s office at the Central Campus.
Since the protest began, Vice Chancellor Keshar Jung Baral has stopped attending his office. Similarly, central campus chief Dhyannendra Rai has been barred from entering his office since Monday. The principal’s office, the registrar’s administrative department, and the physics department have been locked for weeks.
The Tribhuvan University Employees’ Association, dominated by UML-affiliated staff, is also on strike, demanding permanent positions through internal promotions and automatic career progression. The protests, which include sit-ins, rallies, blockades, and office closures, have disrupted normal activities at the university, creating chaos on campus. Due to the unrest, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the university’s Chancellor, held an informal Senate meeting at Singha Durbar on Sunday.
ANNFSU leader Siddhanta Bhatta has led the sit-in outside the Vice Chancellor’s office, disrupting daily operations. Bhatta and his group have drawn crowds of ANNFSU and UML supporters, causing further disruption. Bhatta has presented a list of 35 demands, including adjustments to tuition fees, installation of streetlights for safer nighttime travel, construction of disability-friendly infrastructure, and transparent scholarship allocations.
The Vice Chancellor’s office formed an investigation committee led by Associate Professor Pramod Paudel to address the issues, but no significant progress has been made. A second committee has also been established, but discussions with Bhatta have not yielded results, as he insists on meeting with top officials.
Meanwhile, five student unions opposing the ANNFSU have locked the offices, accusing the campus of mismanagement and unauthorized collection of parking fees during an NPL event. They demand transparency regarding the funds and action against those involved. The ongoing disruptions have highlighted deep-rooted mismanagement within Tribhuvan University, which has faced repeated issues, such as delayed results, lost answer sheets, repeated question papers, and irregularities in examinations.
The university has also criticized a recent editorial in Kantipur that highlighted issues at Kathmandu University and warned against Tribhuvan University following a similar path. The editorial pointed out longstanding mismanagement, which TU has yet to address effectively.
The ongoing protests, lockouts, and administrative lapses have underscored the deep-seated challenges at Tribhuvan University, threatening its academic and operational stability.