NEHU students refuse to call of stir despite VC's appeal, assurance

Shillong, Nov 7 (IANS) Students from North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), the northeast’s oldest Central varsity, in Shillong, refused to call off the stir despite assurance and appeals by the Vice Chancellor.

Their indefinite hunger strike entered its third day on Thursday while demanding the removal of the Vice Chancellor and four other top officials.

The Vice Chancellor of NEHU Prabha Shankar Shukla urged the students to call off their agitation so that normal academic activities can resume in the university.

In a letter to the President of the North Eastern Hill University Students Union (NEHUSU) Sandy Sohtun, the VC assured to form an inquiry committee to study the demand for the removal of varsity’s Registrar and Deputy Registrar.

Shukla in his letter also said that he would call a meeting of the Executive Council to form an enquiry committee within November 14 and based on the findings of the enquiry report appropriate actions would be taken.

He also that as the Vice-Chancellor he agreed in principle to the appointment of Pro-Vice-Chancellors for facilitating the administration of the Tura Campus of NEHU.

Earlier on Thursday, the agitating students burnt the effigies of the VC and shut all entrances to the university complex as part of their protests.

NEHUSU General Secretary Toniho S Kharsati told the media that they are not happy with the clarification of the VC with regard to their demands.

He also said they would continue with their agitation until and unless their demands were accepted by the authorities.

The NEHUSU has been agitating demanding the removal of the VC and four other top officials, including registrar Col Omkar Singh (Retd) and deputy registrar Amit Gupta for their alleged “incompetency” in running the varsity.

The Khasi Students Union’s NEHU and the Meghalaya Tribal Teachers' Association also supported the protest.

The agitating students claimed that due to the incompetence of all top varsity officials, the NEHU’s rank has slipped 21 points to 101 in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking.

NEHUSU General Secretary said the students demanded that all incompetent top officials along with those “illegally” appointed must be removed for the interest of the students and the varsity.

"Since the incumbent VC took charge of the University in 2021, no important academic development has taken place; instead rankings of the important institution have been going down. Incompetent people were appointed in the top position," he said.

The Non-teaching Staff Association (NEHUNSA) also stopped their official work in protest against the "unprecedented delay” in the recruitment process for the posts that were notified last year.

--IANS

sc/dan