Agartala: The ministry of education has appointed Debabrata Das, adviser to higher education in Assam and a former Tezpur University professor, as vice-chancellor of Tripura University.The appointment follows the exit of Prof Ganga Prasad Prasain last August amid protests and controversy over allegations of corruption and illegal appointments, including that of his son as an engineer.Tripura University has been without a regular vice-chancellor since Prof Prasain’s departure. Senior-most professor Prof Shyamal Das has served as acting VC during the interim period.Prof Shyamal Das also faced allegations of misconduct during his tenure as dean under Prof Prasain and was accused of shielding the former VC’s alleged corrupt practices. The university’s performance has since declined, impacting this year’s admissions, with several departments failing to draw adequate enrolment and most Chemistry seats remaining unfilled through CUET.The ministry of higher education confirmed Das’s appointment in a notification issued on Friday. His tenure will be five years from the date he assumes office or until he attains the age of 70, whichever is earlier.Tripura chief minister welcomed the appointment, saying Das is expected to use his administrative experience to improve academic standards, research, governance and implementation of the National Education Policy,or NEP .
