NEHUTA issues rejoinder to NEHU VC's charges against the Association

SHILLONG: The North-Eastern Hill University Teachers' Association (NEHUTA) has issued its rejoinder to the Vice Chancellor's charges against the Association. We reproduce the press statement signed by NEHUTA president Prof. X.P. Mao and its general secretary Dr. Marbhador M. Khymdeit:

"Lies, lies and lies: The VC's Quibbles

"Repeatedly the incumbent Vice-Chancellor Prof.S. K. Srivastava has been following a Goebblesian strategy of telling a lie hundred times, thousand times and many times to turn it into truth! False claim about NEHUTA Executive Committee not being valid after one year term of office is over deliberately suppresses Constitutional provision that the Executive Committee can continue in unavoidable circumstances until the new Executive Committee takes over. The so called press release in the name of University overtly misrepresented the Constitutional Provisions of NEHUTA, which allows for continuance of an elected body until the new elected body takes over.

"The said press release claimed that constitution of election committee of NEHUTA for the year 2020-21 is not approved by NEHUTA Genral Body, a Goebblsian lie that would even shame Goebbles. Constitution of Election committee falls purely within the domain of internal functioning of NEHUTA's general body and as a metter of fact, the General Body has approved constitution of Election committees for both the year 2019-20 and 2020-21. So the claim of administration that Election Committee is constituted without approval from General Body is unfair, false and baseless. This clearly evidences the Goebblesian motive of the outgoing Vice-Chancellor Prof. S.K. Srivastava. The Election committee for the year 2020-21 constituted by its general body from its very first meeting held in May, 2019 is in place to conduct any election throughout 2020-21.

"Just because NEHUTA has been pointing to blatant violation of Act, statute and ordinances of the University by Prof. S.K. Srivastava, he and his cohort wanted to be vindictive towards NEHUTA for exposing their serious misdemeanor and the litany of financial and academic impropriety by the said Vice-Chancellor, he has resorted to public display of misrepresentation of facts about NEHU Teachers' Association. The Elected Body of NEHUTA is in office with due election process and with unanimous approval of NEHUTA General Body as per the mandate of its Constitution.

"As a Constitutional watchdog body, NEHUTA's role in getting very serious lapses committed by the Vice-Chancellor in getting corrected during his whole four years and eleven months tenure to the notice of Authorities has incurred the wrath of an errant, incorrigible and corrupt Vice-Chancellor. Vice-Chancellor's dictatorial attitude towards academic Department by removing two heads has resulted into legal action by the National Women's Commission. The attempt by the Vice-Chancellor in intimidating former members of NEHU executive Council in the case of a local indigenous Woman Professor has been duly taken note by both Schedule Tribes Commission and National Womens' Commission.

"In the University system, unlike Government offices and departments, the statutory bodies are the authority and authority does not lie with not any particular officer. Therefore the Vice-Chancellor, who is a mere officer cannot even attempt to derecognize a statutory body like NEHUTA. So his claim to derecognize NEHUTA's Election Commitee is solely aimed at misleading the public and making them believe his Goebblesian lies.

"By fanning concocted lies and unsubstantiated allegations by an official for their personal purposes against a watchdog body like NEHUTA is an evidence of abuse of power, which itself is null and void. Such lies do not make any 'good and valid reason' that the official is claiming.

Therefore, the VC has to find some flaws of NEHUTA to publicly undermine it to prevent NEHUTA from raising his misdeeds in public.

"The students, non-teaching and teachers of the University have expressed their total loss of faith in the total and abysmal failure of largely absentee VC in maintaining academic, financial and administrative probity and transparency. Facts speak louder than his convoluted lies. The freefall of NEHU's rank in all ranking estimates due to failure of performance by administrative head has brought down the image of the University beyond repair. The NEHUTA as the most important body of teachers and a stakeholder of the University pointed out the un-statutory acts of VC only to save the university and to protect its image from the massive damage already done in last five years by Prof. S.K. Srivastava.

"How self-contradictory are the statements made by VC Prof. Srivastava could be read from the meaningless assertion that Executive Committee's term is over during the Pandemic! This violates Supreme Court ruling on such a matter in which the SC ruled that during lockdown and pandemic, no elected committee's term can be over as it will create institutional and constitutional vacuum. If the term of office of the Executive Committee, according to VC is over, then should NEHUTA enter into state of limbo so that new Executive Committee cannot get elected? This is how by sheer misinterpretation of NEHUTA's constitution, the VC intends to make NEHUTA defunct. NEHUTA General Body massively rejected such attempt of VC's interference to violate NEHUTA's constitution.

"The NEHUTA, governed by its Constitution and University statutes is empowered to raise 'collective grievances' to all constitutional authorities and ensure that NEHU's good name and standard is not brought down by misdeeds of an official by abuse of powers.

"By interfering into NEHUTA's functions, the VC is grossly abusing his powers with the sole motive of blocking NEHUTA from exposing his misdeeds in public so that he can apply for a second term and an undue extension of his present using COVID as an opportunity. Such mischievous and opportunistic moves by VC and his cohort in spite of his miserable failure in all fronts is a threat to the very existence of the University.

"As a responsible public body, it is our solemn duty to bring this matter to the notice of people of Meghalaya and Northeasters states, as NEHU is created to serve specially the higher educational needs of tribal people of the region. Prof. S.K. Srivastava, by clinging onto his position and by continuously violating Act, Statute and Ordinances of the University wants to enjoy power even after his term comes to an end, though he failed to deliver anything in his entire tenure. At the very end of his term he is putting a huge loan on NEHU without any plan of repayment except raising all the costs of services. Being a public institution, this is a blow to the University. His sole intent is that NEHUTA should be stopped from raising such collective grievances so that he can go unhindered in carrying out his unstatutory acts.

"Through several publications by NEHUTA and many others, misdeeds and abuse of power by the VC have been brought to the notice of the public and governments at the State and the Centre. Prof. Srivastava could not come out clean from any of these charges of gross violation of NEHU rules and also the financial rules of the Government of India.

"We condemn Goebblesian lies on NEHUTA being spread by Prof. S.K. Srivastava to put a lid on his omissions and commissions. His attempt is to undermine an elected body of teachers which is a statutory watchdog body representing best interests of NEHU. Hence through this release we hereby refute all the falsehoods spread by Prof. S.K. Srivastava. For our continuous efforts to correct the failures and misdeeds of his, Prof. S.K. Srivastava chose to act vindictive and dictatorial by violating all principles of functioning of a public university. This needs to be fully enquired."

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