SHILLONG, Nov 6: NEHU Vice Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla on Wednesday rejected the demands of the NEHU Students’ Union (NEHUSU) and ruled out the removal of the Registrar, Deputy Registrar (Academics) and two others.
The NEHUSU and other organisations have been demanding the removal of some senior officials and the appointment of Pro-Vice-Chancellors for the Shillong and Tura campuses of the university.
Responding to the NEHUSU’s call for removing the officials, including the officer on special duty and the guest house in charge, Shukla said these appointments were made through a formal selection process.
“The removal of officials like the registrar and deputy registrar cannot be done on a whim or personal discretion,” he said, adding that these positions are governed by institutional rules, and any action must adhere to due process.
The VC said that while the NEHUSU, NEHUTA, and NEHUNSA have raised their grievances with government authorities, including the Ministry of Education and the President of India, no directive has been issued for action against these officials.
“If there are legitimate concerns, the government may opt for an inquiry, but currently, there is no communication from the ministry or the President’s office supporting these demands,” he said. Refuting claims of administrative inaction regarding staff roles, Shukla said the challenges faced in filling positions such as the OSD and guest house in charge are due to a shortage of non-teaching staff. He said attempts had been made to find qualified professors to take on the OSD role, but “no professor has expressed willingness”.
Regarding the position of the guest house in charge, the VC said the recruitment advertisements were issued but the NEHU had to seek alternative agencies after the National Testing Agency (NTA) declined to conduct the exams.
For appointing Pro-VCs for the Shillong and Tura campuses, the VC confirmed that the university formally reached out to the ministry for guidance. “We await the ministry’s response, but if none is received by December, I will appoint Pro-VCs from the local community for each campus,” he said.
NEHU Tura campus joins protest
Meanwhile, the NEHU Tura campus on Wednesday joined their counterparts in Shillong to seek the removal of the VC and registrar while demanding the appointment of a Pro-VC and the re-establishment of the Post Graduate Students’ Union.
The GSU and GSMC are supporting the protest, which began Wednesday. The gate to the university campus was closed by agitating students who decided not to budge until their demands were met.
“We support the demands of our counterparts in Shillong and seek the removal of the VC and registrar who have been illegally appointed. These illegal appointees have to be shown the door. We also want the appointment of a Pro-VC for the Tura campus as we have been doing without one for more than 2 years now,” Amsrang Momin, a PhD student said.
The campus is currently being run by a campus in charge, which apparently was a temporary solution but became a permanent fixture in NEHU, Tura.
