Meghalaya: NEHU student bodies demand pro VC’s resignation over ‘procedurally illegitimate’ appointment

A CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Amid mounting tensions within North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), the NEHU Students’ Union (NEHUSU) and the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), NEHU Unit, have jointly demanded the resignation of Professor Sherwin May Sungoh from her position as Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Shillong Campus, citing serious violations of statutory procedures, lack of quorum, and breach of Ministry of Education directives. The call for resignation was made through a detailed letter addressed to Prof. Sungoh on April 8.

In the letter, the student unions asserted that Prof. Sungoh’s appointment was carried out under the authority of Vice-Chancellor Prof. P.S. Shukla, who has been on extended leave since November 3, 2024. “The process followed in your appointment, which was orchestrated under the authority of Prof. Shukla, stands as procedurally illegitimate and was not ratified by a quorum of the Executive Council, rendering it ultra vires,” they wrote.

They stated that the appointment was declared “null and void” by the acting Vice-Chancellor in November 2024, and criticized the fact that the Executive Council “did not hold a valid meeting to discuss or approve the appointment of Pro Vice-Chancellors.” They further alleged that Prof. Omkar Singh, also on leave, issued directives “without proper authorization or procedural compliance.”

The unions voiced strong concern over Prof. Sungoh’s continued alignment with Prof. Shukla, stating that his actions “have been widely opposed by all stakeholders, including Members of Parliament from Meghalaya—Dr. Ricky A. J. Syngkon (Shillong) and Mr. Saleng A. Sangma (Tura)—who have raised this issue in the ongoing parliamentary session.” The letter noted that the Ministry of Education has not yet released the findings of an inquiry into Prof. Shukla’s conduct, saying, “he remains unexonerated from serious allegations, including those reflecting anti-tribal and anti-Meghalaya sentiments.”

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