CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: The North-Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) on Tuesday met Health Minister Dr. M. Ampareen Lyngdoh to press for urgent intervention in the prolonged leadership vacuum at NEHU, citing nearly five months without a Vice-Chancellor.
NEHUSU General Secretary Toniho Kharsati informed that the union has submitted a memorandum addressing the ongoing crisis, emphasizing that NEHU has been without a Vice-Chancellor for nearly five months. In response, Dr. Lyngdoh assured the delegation that she would escalate the matter to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma.
“(We) jointly submit this memorandum, seeking your urgent intervention in addressing the governance and administrative challenges at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU). We earnestly request your esteemed support in resolving the persistent issues affecting the student community, faculty, and non-teaching staff, which have remained unaddressed for an extended period,” the student bodies said.
The memorandum alleges repeated protests and agitations against Vice-Chancellor Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla for his failure to discharge his duties and mismanagement of university affairs. NEHUSU and KSU-NEHU Unit had staged a hunger strike on November 5, 2024, which was temporarily halted after assurances from the Ministry of Education. Following this, the Ministry constituted an Inquiry Committee on November 14, 2024, to probe the allegations. The student organizations provided documentary evidence to the committee during its visit.
“Given the severity of the situation and the detrimental impact of this prolonged mismanagement on the university’s academic and administrative integrity, we place our trust in your leadership to take decisive steps toward resolving these pressing issues,” the memorandum stated. “We strongly urge you to advocate for the immediate removal of Prof. Shukla as the Vice-Chancellor of NEHU, along with other incompetent officials, to ensure better governance, transparency, and a brighter future for the university. Your timely intervention and steadfast support will be instrumental in restoring academic credibility and institutional well-being at NEHU. We sincerely hope that you will take this matter forward and stand with the students in their pursuit of justice and reform.”
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